Seth Udinski, FISM News
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J.T. Realmuto, the 31-year-old all-star catcher, has made a name for himself as one of the cornerstones of the recently-crowned National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. Through it all, his top aim has been to bring his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ honor with how he lives his life.
After the Phillies’ dramatic 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres in game 5 of the NLCS on Sunday, Realmuto told the broadcast team at For Sports,
I just thank God for giving me this opportunity to play this wonderful game that I love for a living. I’m just so thankful for these amazing teammates [and] our families. … This moment is so special it’s hard to put into words.
Realmuto is a committed Christian who has made it his first priority to follow the Lord Jesus. He has been blessed with a broad reach thanks to his stellar play as the widely-renowned best catcher in baseball.
In 2022, he hit 22 home runs with 84 runs batted in, all while reaching the finalist mark for the NL Gold Glove voting. He is widely considered the best all-around catcher in baseball and one of the best-hitting catchers in the game’s history, a platform that has allowed him to preach the gospel to many.
Several years ago, he went on the Faith on the Field show with Rob Maddi and told listeners,
It’s extremely important to me in life to know that the first thing I am … before I’m a father, before I’m a baseball player, the number one thing I am is a follower of Christ.
Realmuto’s walk with Christ is evident on the field, as he is well-known for his humility and leadership in the locker room. He made history this postseason by becoming the first catcher in MLB history to hit an inside-the-park home run, doing so in the Phillies’ 8-3 victory in game 4 of the NLDS.
JT REALMUTO INSIDE-THE-PARK HOMER IN THE POSTSEASON! ⚾️🚨🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/aL5kYASDxi
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 15, 2022
The Phillies meet the Houston Astros in game 1 of the World Series on Friday.
Author’s Biblical Analysis:
Realmuto’s love for Christ is an example to all Christians, whether you are seen every day by millions of fans on TV or not. The encouragement from this report is simple: Put Christ first.
Our human tendency is to elevate ourselves to first priority. Some will praise this under the guise of “self-help” or simply “looking out for number one.” The sinister reality of self-elevation is that it is a blatant affront to the holy God, in which man says “I am most important,” and thereby worships himself as a god.
Christians must be radically different. We must live in submission to Christ as Lord. This is especially difficult for us to do, not only because of the previously mentioned tendency towards self-idolatry, but also because it requires risk.
The risk is letting go of our death grip on our life and surrendering it to Christ.
Believer, please understand how great the freedom is for those who live in submission to Christ. Whatever control you think you have is but a ruse. Furthermore, let’s say it was truly possible for you to call the shots — Would you really desire an innately selfish, immoral, depraved sinner controlling your life?
I hope you would answer, “May it never be!” The only place where a sinner can find true freedom is in Christ.
Put Him first. Give Him the place of honor He deserves in your life. Submit to Him as Lord, and in Him you will find true purpose, true peace, true joy, true life, and true freedom.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. – James 4:7