Week twenty-eight, 2017

Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. – 2 Timothy 2:5

The 1924 baseball World Series between the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees remains legendary. It was the seventh game of the series. The Senators and the Yankees are tied, three games a piece. It is the bottom of the ninth inning. The first two batters strike out. The third and final batter approaches the plate. His team is down by one run.

The pitcher releases a fiery curve ball. Strike one! He repeats the pitch. Strike two! Many in the crowd suspect that all has been lost. Then, the third pitch barrels toward the plate. Amazingly, the batter eyes it perfectly. His forceful swing sends the ball well on its way. The crowd erupts into pandemonium as they think that he has hit a homerun.

But, the ball hits a pole and bounces backward into fair territory. The runner makes it around to home plate. As the crowd explodes into sheer exuberance, the home plate umpire surprisingly calls out the runner. The home plate umpire goes to the mike to announce the determination. “The runner at home is called out because he failed to touch first base.”

Imagine that! The entire season and the World Series are lost due to a technicality. The runner in his excitement fails to touch first. Countless hours of practice, travel, and games were summarily nullified by a small yet very significant omission. However, that is also the case with the life of faith.

The game of baseball is governed by a set of rules and must be played by the rulebook. We also have a rulebook in the game of life, and we shall not receive the crown of eternal life unless we abide by the divine rules given to us through God’s Holy Word, the Bible.

The very first base we must touch in becoming a Christian is to believe unquestionably that Jesus is Lord and to confess our sins and turn our life over to Him. We must believe what the Bible says about Jesus and His love for us if we want to score in the game of life.

Committing our lives to Jesus is the first base of the Christian faith. Don’t run the rest of the bases of life until you touch that first base. God so loved the world that He gave us His only son, so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Sometimes True Stories

We are in a VERY DRY season.
How Dry is it?

The Baptist are now Sprinkling
The Methodist are using wet wipes,
The Presbyterians are giving out rain checks and
The Episcopalians, Catholics & Lutherans are praying for the wine to turn back to water.

Quotes You Can Use

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