Devotion / A million dollar chunk of wood

How much would a baseball bat be worth to you? What if it was Babe Ruth’s? Recently, one of his Louisville Sluggers sold for $1.3 million! It was the one he used to blast a homer in the first ever baseball game in the new Yankee Stadium.

 What gave that random chunk of wood such great value was the person who used it and the story behind it.

A precious tree

 That reminds me of the cross on which our Savior Jesus died. How many millions of trees have existed in the world’s history? Yet this tree is so precious to followers of Jesus that they decorate their homes, their churches, and even themselves with replicas of this piece of wood. Of course, that piece of wood--by itself--was not so special. Its value is found in the Savior who sacrificed his life there for the entire world of sinners.

 I don’t know who bought that bat. It’s pretty certain it wasn’t a buyer from China. Baseball was first brought to China in the 1860’s by a Christian missionary. Its popularity grew so that even Babe Ruth and a team of major league all-stars toured China in 1934. But despite growing popularity, it was legislated out of existence because of its Western ties after the 1960’s. Sadly, with Christ’s cross, Chinese leaders also seems to be trying to legislate it out of existence. You have likely seen the news of crosses being removed, and the difficulties 316NOW has faced in sharing Jesus’ gospel good news in mainland China.

God’s treasure

 The truth of Jesus and his cross needs to be shared. Paul writes in Philippians 3:18 that we should not be surprised that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:17-18, he reminds us not to let the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. While the message of the cross may seem like foolishness to those who are perishing, it is the saving power of God.

 Peter clearly speaks of its surpassing value and that what makes this ancient wooden torture device special is what our Savior accomplished there. He himself [Jesus] bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).

 Babe Ruth’s Louisville Slugger bat may be a $1.3 million dollar chunk of wood to some. But what happened on Jesus’ cross is a priceless treasure for all the world!

 Prayer: Loving Lord, while many may try to suppress what your cross stands for, help us to share the good news of your Gospel around the world!

by Dave Payne