Pick any sport with a ball.  Doesn’t really matter the sport. If there’s a ball, all eyes are on the ball.  Actually what happens to the ball is the whole point of the sport.  Think of all the other aspects of the sport you thought of, and bottom line, it all comes down to where the ball is, and who’s got it.

In basketball, 9 other on-court players and two benches full of players and coaches along with countless fans are watching the one guy bouncing the ball.  In baseball, 18 guys are watching the ball as it speeds from the hand of the pitcher at 90 miles an hour or as it explodes off the bat and out 300 plus yards.  Again, all the players, coaches, investors, fans, are all watching the ball and watching to see if the player can cross home plate before the ball does.  You see how this works? Soccer, tennis, football (yes! it’s finally here!!), even four square and kickball…it’s all about the ball.

When Jesus got ready to leave this planet and head home, He looked into the eyes of His small group of followers and He saw the future ball-carriers.  He told them they’d have to wait on the Holy Spirit and then they could run with vicious passion to get the ball across the line.  They’ve since passed it to us.  All Jesus came to do, His ‘mission’, has been passed on to us.  He finished the work, He completed the gift of salvation. And now today He’s given us the ball to carry right where we are and in the exact times we live in.  Through lives dedicated to Him and His mission of loving others in truth and grace, we carry the ball He so carefully has tossed to us.

You got the ball?  What are you doing with it?