How to Win the World Series: God Version
Baseball And God
The City of Houston, Texas, is lit up with joy over the 2017 World Series.
The mostly young team of baseball stars that won the first overall championship for the franchise worked together like a family. And all of them have a sincere love of the game, as well.
The team is inspirational because they are a bunch of good-hearted guys with mad talent and the right focus.
This is a great analogy for how believers are supposed to win the world for Jesus. We really hit the ball out of the park and score souls for heaven when we simply maintain an unmistakable focus on God.
Those guys have been with Jesus
In Acts 4:13, we learn that disciples Peter and John were bold and courageous and yet ordinary men with no special scriptural training who were recognized as having been with Jesus.
This is comparable to amazing batters and homerun hitters Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa, and others.
Obviously, these guys combined their natural skills with good old-fashioned hard work and batting practice.
Spending time with Jesus is really the cornerstone of Christianity if we want to overflow with God’s Spirit and empowering grace.
Focus number one
Our marching orders, as Christians, are clear. The very first commandment, as spelled out in the Old Testament, is “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
Once when Jesus was asked about the commandments, He made it crystal clear that putting God first is supposed to be our primary concern. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment.
We can get our own lives on God’s track by taking the all-important step of ensuring that He is Number One.
There is no reason to feel boxed into a legalistic ritual, in pursuing this goal.
When we give God time, talk to Him in prayer, and read scriptures every day, we make a powerful connection with our heavenly Father.
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray continually.”
This doesn’t mean we can’t work on our jobs or drive responsibly because we are busily engaged in prayer. When we have centered our lives on God and the scriptures, we maintain constant and effortless communication with the Creator, which is called prayer.
The Astros got the attention of millions of people who were previously blasé about baseball. When we put God first with their kind of passion, we also attract the world’s attention, drawing people to the truth of Christ’s sacrificial love.
