WHAT A KICK!

June 27, 2006

The World Cup is at stake. A star player shows how important his foot is to his team.

THINK ABOUT IT

Ecuadorean goalkeeper Cristian Mora dives in vain to block a free kick by English midfielder David Beckham.
(JAIME RAZURI/AFP/Getty Images)

BECKHAM FREE KICK PUTS ENGLAND INTO QUARTERS

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - David Beckham was feeling nauseous. England's offense was just as sickly, with nothing to show for an hour of aimless passing against Ecuador in the 90-degree heat.

Then Beckham's right foot lived up to its fame, squeezing England into the World Cup quarterfinals.

Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th minute Sunday, his first goal for England in nearly 15 months - and the lone highlight in an otherwise ugly 1-0 victory over Ecuador.

A few minutes later, he vomited on the field because of dehydration, and left the match in the 87th minute.

"The last two days I've been struggling, even in training," Beckham said.

While he is soccer's best-known player, he is far from the best, a 31-year-old midfielder criticized for his lack of defense and inability to score from the run of play.

But his status as a cultural icon has grown in his decade with England, especially since his marriage to pop star Victoria Adams, formerly known as Posh Spice. He has opened a soccer academy in California, and he is considering ending his career in the U.S. with Major League Soccer.

His goal ended a 13-match scoreless streak dating to a World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on March 30, 2005.

For England, the wait was worth it.

photo & story courtesy foxsports.com, 6/26/06

TAKE A LOOK

1 Corinthians 12:12-22 - (NLT)

One Body with Many Parts

¹²The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit. ¹⁴Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. ¹⁵If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷Suppose the whole body were an eye--then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything? ¹⁸But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you." ²²In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.

1 Corinthians 12:27 - (NLT)

²⁷Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.

WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD TEACH US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EACH OF US USING OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS?

Paul communicates God's Story very clearly. Do you get his point? God has given each of His children (those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior) an important part to play in the body of Christ!

All of us will always know some other believer who seems like they should be the "star", because they seem more spiritually gifted, more talented, more likely to be used by God to accomplish His plan. But we're all an important part of His team!

So even when you feel like the little toe in Christ's body, God sees you as a winner!

Every one of us are going to have those times like David Beckham had for fifteen months. Scoreless! We may have missed some opportunities to serve God or had some of our attempts to use our gifts blocked by the opponent. Hang in there. Just like David Beckham got his moment to show how important his foot was to his team, God wants to give you your moment to experience how important you are to Christ's team.

In humility, make it a daily goal to offer your spiritual gifts to Jesus. He will use you to serve His team and build God's Kingdom. You'll get a kick out of it!

TALK ABOUT IT

Thank God for the body of Christ and your part in it. Ask His Spirit to show you how to encourage the rest of the "team" and how you can best serve Christ by using the gifts He has given you. Ask Jesus to show you how you can serve in His body to reach others, because a lost world is at stake.

TRY IT

Read Romans 12:1-8 to learn more about Christ's body and spiritual gifts.
Ask your youth leader or pastor to help you discover your spiritual gifts.
Pray regularly for God to help you better understand your role in the body of Christ and how you can contribute to Christ's "team".
If you watch the World Cup competition, let the amazing teamwork motivate you to help your local "team" serve Christ together.

ABOUT IT

DAILY DEVOS is brought to you by Youth for Christ. Youth for Christ works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Byron Emmert Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG. Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.