CHAMPIONSHIP
RING

Topics: Cross; Grace; New Life; Rebirth; Redemption; Salvation

References: Job 19:25; Romans 3:24; 8:3–4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:16–21; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14

Lou Johnson, a 1965 World Series hero for the Los Angeles Dodgers, tried for thirty years to recover the championship ring he had lost to drug dealers in 1971. Drug and alcohol abuse cost him everything from that magical season, including his uniform, glove, and the bat he used to hit the winning home run in the deciding game.

When Dodger president Bob Graziano learned that Johnson’s World Series ring was about to be auctioned on the Internet, he immediately bought the ring for $3,457 and gave it to Johnson, sixty-six, who has been drug-free for years and a Dodger community relations employee. He did for Johnson what Johnson could not do for himself.

The ball player wept when given the gold ring. “It felt like a piece of me had been reborn,” he said.

Likewise, Christians can testify to a spiritual rebirth as a result of the price that Jesus paid on the cross in their place. He did for them what they could not do for themselves.

—Rick Kauffman, “Team President Redeems Athlete,” PreachingToday.com