BASEBALL & CHRISTIANITY

There are two things in life that I hold dear to my heart. First, is my relationship with Christ. Second, is my love for baseball. So it is not hard for me to think God is not a baseball fan too, as we read in Genesis, “In the beginning (big inning), God created the heavens and the earth.” You probably asked yourself what does baseball and being a Christian have in common?

First, the game of baseball has a set of rules each player must follow. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we have a set of rules found in the Scriptures to help guide us through life. That doesn’t mean that each player or Christian will execute the game of life perfectly, but our Heavenly Coach loves us enough to give us a rule book to follow.

Second, being part of a team in baseball means as a player you are accountable to your teammates. Players play for the team on the front of the jersey not their name on the back. There is no “I” found in team! The same is true for us as Christians. God has equipped us all with different gifts to be used to further His work. The scriptures address this principle in Romans 12:4-5, when God says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So, we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members of one another.”

Third, baseball is a game of grace. Oftentimes, players make errors or strike out at bat. This does not mean the player is taken out of the game, rather they are given another opportunity to do things better next time. In the Bible, God has shown us that He has used people who have made mistakes and are given a second chance: Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zacchaeus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead.

Last, the ultimate goal in baseball and our Christian walk is making it home. In baseball, it’s about making it to home plate. As a Christian, we look forward to spending eternity in Heaven and hearing God say, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”

So, remember coaches make sacrifices for their team; however, God made the ultimate sacrifice for His team by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins and mistakes, giving us the opportunity to be forgiven so we can spend an eternity worshiping Him.

Chops out.