God's Coaching #268

God's Coaching #268

On one of the greatest nights of his life, Josh Hamilton chose to be alone. On this date in 2010, the Texas Rangers clinched their first play-off berth in 11 years with a 4–3 win over Oakland. It was a huge night for the team. After the game, the Rangers followed an annual baseball tradition by spraying champagne all over each other in the clubhouse.

Many baseball players live for this moment—celebrating the thrill of success after a long season. But Josh chose the solitude of the team’s training room. The thought of being soaked in alcohol brought back too many painful memories. In 1999, Josh had been the top prospect in baseball, having been drafted first overall by Tampa Bay. But after abusing drugs and alcohol, he was out of the game by 2003 and had nearly wrecked his marriage. God mercifully intervened and saved Josh from his deadly spiral. In 2007, Josh reached the major leagues with Cincinnati and has since become one of the best power hitters in the game.

What’s the Score?

Even though Josh was a Christian, he knew his weaknesses. He understood how easy it would be to drift back into drug and alcohol abuse. So he went to great lengths to stay away from those temptations. We all have certain sins that are more difficult to overcome. The Bible calls these troublesome patterns “the old self.” It refers to a Christian’s former sinful lifestyle before putting his or her faith in Jesus.

Like Josh, we must be willing to go to great lengths to defeat the difficult sins in our lives. Maybe it means not watching certain TV shows, or speaking a certain way, or hanging out with certain friends. Whatever it is, we must put on “the new self” (Ephesians 4:24, NIV). In other words, we must choose to obey God and to say no to the sins of our past.

On the Ball

List one sin that you consistently struggle with. Then write down what actions you can take to overcome this sin with God’s help.

Coach’s Comment

Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:22-24