Hey Batter!

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Jude 1:17-21

It has been at least twenty years since I coached a little league baseball team. It was a memorable enough experience and I did learn some good lessons that year. I remember the coaches who built their entire lives around baseball. For them it was not a game, but truly a religion. They knew the rule book better than most preachers know the Bible. If my team was fortunate enough to win against one of these teams it always made me feel bad for the other coach who seemed to feel that life had just dealt him a major setback!

If you have seen boys playing baseball you may have seen the boys in the field taunting the batter. They would yell: “Hey batter, batter, batter!” It was hard enough for a young man to keep his composure while trying to hit the baseball in front of two small crowds, one friendly and the other one hostile. I always thought this added pressure was unnecessary and really unfair. Baseball should be a game of physical ability not emotional stability!

Life itself is a little like young men playing baseball. You are up at the plate hoping to hit the ball and not strike out. The world is scoffing at you and everything you believe! You hear cries from the crowd and from the opposing team trying to take away your peace as you wait for the next pitch.

But life is not like baseball for followers of Jesus. The winner of the game of life is not determined by your skill and physical ability. It is not decided because of your intelligence or wisdom. When you stand at the plate waiting for the next pitch Satan will throw across the plate you can feel the arms of God reach around you and His hands fold around yours. When the ball comes you feel the bat begin to move because of His power. In reality you become a spectator yourself as you watch the Holy Spirit take over your life!

My job is to be alert and let God move me to respond to everything that comes my way in life.