Last night our church softball team lost 24 to 2 in 4 innings of play in a city recreational league. I began pitching in the top of the 2nd inning when the score was 9 to 1. My only time up, bases were loaded, there was one out, the count was full, and I stood there watching a pitch down the middle of the strike zone that was a little high/deep and I was called out looking. As I pitched, I could not find the corners of the strike zone of the umpire, so eventually gave up trying and pitched fat pitches down the middle. Unfortunately, due to sin in my heart, my attitude toward this umpire was that of clinched teeth anger. Again unfortunately, sin came out of my mouth, because my heart was sinful. I said things while pitching that I should not have said: cheering for pitches he called strikes (not really getting on the umpire's good side), loudly declaring pitches that I thought were catching the inside/outside edges of the strike zones (hoping to influence his call, yet he still called them balls), and an overthrow to our first base young lady player, after an easy hit ball to me, that I overthrew because I was full of anger induced adrenaline. My sin was showing it's ugly face, and the team noticed. I only know that the team noticed, because first, after the Game, our coach reminded us that we were God's witness to the other teams and was encouraging us to give God glory by our example in sportsmanship, and second, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin, and so confessing it to my teammates, asking them to forgive me for my sinful attitude that I displayed, asking the Holy Spirit to help change my heart from the inside out - remembering that if I received what I 'deserved' - I would end up condemned in hell, and only by the love of the Heavenly Father sending His Son to take my sins upon himself, the spotless lamb, that I have been graciously given that which I do NOT deserve - eternal life with Him in glory. I truly need a savior, o sinner that I still am, and am thankful Jesus Christ is my savior - forgiving me of ALL of my sin.
O to be more like Jesus, is my soul's cry, to put to death sin in my life, by the help of the Holy Spirit.
As I read Romans 8:32 today in light of my need of a savior, I weep for joy for His love towards me:
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment