God's Coaching #270

God's Coaching #270

When Jim Furyk woke up on the morning of September 27, 2010, life felt pretty great. A day earlier, the veteran Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) star had won the final event of the FedEx Cup play-offs, the tour championship in Atlanta. The victory earned him a $$135 million check. His win also gave him enough points for first place in the FedEx play-offs—good for an additional $10 million. Not bad for a weekend’s worth of work.

It certainly was a different feeling from the one Jim had experienced a month earlier. On August 25, he overslept and missed his pro-am tee time at the FedEx Cup’s first tournament, The Barclays. Under PGA Tour rules, Jim’s pro-am absence disqualified him from the tournament. Oops! But Jim didn’t let that sleepy slipup stop him. He finished well enough in the next two tournaments to position himself for the overall play-off win in Atlanta.

What’s the Score?

Like Jim’s start at the 2010 FedEx Cup play-offs, we all make some pretty bad mistakes. If you have put your faith in Jesus, your sins are forgiven, but we all struggle with our sinful nature until we get to heaven. And sometimes, like Jim, we can commit some real whoppers. Have you ever done something so bad that you thought, How can God ever forgive me for that one?

This, however, is giving in to condemnation—a big word that simply means feeling blameworthy, like there’s no hope because of what you’ve done. But that’s not true! Jesus has taken the blame for our sins and nailed it to the cross. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can move on from our mistakes and not relive the past. We don’t have to mope around or feel sorry for ourselves. We can work hard at obeying God, knowing that he has forgiven us and that one day a great reward awaits us!

On the Ball

Write down all the sins you can remember committing this week. (Go ahead, even if it’s a long list!) Now if you are a Christian, write “Forgiven!” next to each item, and thank Jesus for his amazing work on the cross.

Coach’s Comment

Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2