God's Coaching #63

God's Coaching #63

A lot of athletes seem to be getting into trouble these days. Sometimes a local newspaper’s sports section reads more like a criminal-court docket. Some of the highest-profile players have been convicted of crimes. In 2010, NBA star Gilbert Arenas was given a hefty fine and sentenced to a halfway house and community service for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards’ locker room. In 2009, Plaxico Burress, a Super Bowl champion wide receiver from the New York Giants, was sentenced to two years in prison for carrying a gun into a New York club, where he accidentally shot himself. And from 2007 to 2009, NFL quarterback Michael Vick served a 19-month sentence in federal prison and a two-month home confinement for running a brutal dogfighting operation in Virginia.

Sadly, the list goes on and on. More than ever, it seems, prominent athletes all over the sports world are making negative headlines for gambling, drunk driving, drugs, illegal steroids, assault, and more.

What’s the Score?

Imagine this scene: Every person who has ever committed a crime, not just athletes, stands in an enormous courtroom, awaiting his or her final verdict. The judge reviews each case and looks at the countless defendants. “Each one of you is guilty as charged,” he says, solemnly. “You all deserve the full punishment, which is the death penalty.”

A silence falls over the room. Then the judge looks at his son, who stands in the courtroom, although he is completely innocent. “But my son has agreed to pay all your punishment himself,” the judge continues. “You may go free if you repent and accept this gift of mercy.”

Wow! How amazing would it be if that actually happened? Actually, it has! That’s what God (the Judge of the universe) has done for us (guilty sinners) through his Son, Jesus Christ. By Jesus’ death, he has justified us in God’s eyes. Justification is a legal term found in the Bible that describes how God removes our guilt. By trusting in Christ, we are justified, or made right, with a holy God. Through justification, which we can read about in Romans 5, God credits Jesus’ righteousness to us and forgives our sins. God does not justify everyone—only those who repent and trust in Christ. But for those who do, it’s the greatest acquittal we’ll ever know!

On the Ball

Ask your parents to take you to a local courthouse to watch a public trial, or watch a courtroom scene on TV. While watching it, thank God for providing justification through Christ.

Coach’s Comment

Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 (NIV)