God's Coaching #156

God's Coaching #156

More than any other sport, baseball is a game of numbers. Statistics and records help define players, teams, and entire eras of the game.

Hitters are judged by statistics like batting average, slugging percentage, and RBIs (runs batted in). Pitchers are measured by win-loss records, strikeouts, and ERA (earned runs allowed). Records help provide perspective and history for the game. For years, numbers like 714 and 2,130 were considered untouchable baseball benchmarks.

The number 714 was the great Babe Ruth’s career home run total, a record that stood for 39 years until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974. And 2,130 represented the number of consecutive games played by another New York Yankees Hall of Famer, Lou Gehrig, until Cal Ripken Jr. broke his mark in 1995. Today, records like ..406,56, 4,256, and 5,714 define baseball. In 1941, Ted Williams set the modern-day record for batting average by hitting .406, and Joe DiMaggio set the record for consecutive games with a hit at 56. Pete Rose became baseball’s all-time hit king with 4,256, and Nolan Ryan notched the career strikeout record with 5,714.

What’s the Score?

Yes, baseball loves its record keeping. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t keep a record of all our performances? If God kept track of all our sins, we’d be in serious trouble. The book of Romans says we have all fallen far short of God’s holy standard and deserve death. Based on our sinful records, we are all headed for the Hall of Shame. But God doesn’t want to hold our sins against us. He wants to erase our record book of disobedience (Psalm 103:12).

So where does God put all our sins? On his Son, Jesus Christ! When we place our faith in Jesus, God wipes away all the old records of sin and gives us a fresh start. Now that’s an achievement worth remembering!

On the Ball

Chances are, you’ve committed a number of sins today even before reading this devotional. List all the wrong things you’ve done today on a piece of paper. Then crumple it up and throw it in the trash, signifying what God does with our sins when we put our faith in Jesus. Finally, thank God for this amazing truth!

Coach’s Comment

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12 (NIV)