The baseball strategy of bunting is often considered part of a “small ball” strategy. Baseball’s bunt is a technique that tries to deaden the ball into the grassy no-man’s land in front of the home plate. A successful sacrifice bunt can be like hitting a grand slam home run.

Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle cherished the bunt more than a home run. When asked about bunting, he said, “The critics can say what they want about it (bunting), but I bet you I scored a lot of runs on those bunts.”

Mantle’s teammate, Roger Maris, who hit 61 homers in 1961, even spent one at-bat on a bunt to his way toward the home run season record. Tony Kubek, who played for the Yankees, witnessed Maris do this. He said, “Roger dragged a bunt and got me over to third with the winning run. A complete ballplayer will win the game at that particular time with the bunt. If a manager asks a power hitter to bunt late in the ballgame, the guy should be willing to bunt. Whatever is best for the club. But if a guy wants to be selfish, and he’d rather stick out, well . . .”

1 Corinthians 9 – Selfless Sacrifice

Christian athletes have this same struggle today. Do they swing away, or will they sacrifice to let another teammate get a run? Paul has been trying to coach his Corinthian team to embrace Christian values. So far, they have suffered from selfishness and pride. Each member is more worried about his glory than God’s glory. In 1 Corinthians 9:1-18, Paul exposes the selfish attitudes of his team. He urges them to model his own strategy for winning by placing the needs of the body above personal goals.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete model selflessness by putting their team’s best interest ahead of their own whenever possible. They encourage Christian coaches and athletes on their team to focus on the goal of becoming more like Christ as they compete with the right attitudes and actions.

Journaling helps you understand and respond to the Bible. As you journal, use the acronym HEAR to Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond to what you have read in the reading plan.

Bible Memory Verse – “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of workings, but the same God who works everything in everyone.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

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