Keeping Your Eye On The Ball

“Look to Me, and be saved…” — Isaiah 45:22

“The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me….”  […] We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. […]  Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me….”” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

There are many things – distractions in this life that would draw our attention, trust and devotion away from God.  It requires a deliberate effort on our part to keep our focus.  I was thinking about a batter in a baseball game.  People are yelling at the batter .. opponents and fans trying to distract him so he will miss the ball and be called out.  They want to keep him from accomplishing his purpose which is – of course – to hit the ball and score a run.  I was just remembering when I tried out for little league.  I played sand-lot baseball but that was slow pitch. Little League was fast pitch.  When it was my turn to bat, the pitcher threw the ball and I closed my eyes and swung. You can guess the outcome.  Fast pitch baseball was not my thing, apparently.  I made the team – but then everyone made the team.  The sponsor was Stone’s Mortuary – perhaps that was a sign with respect to the odds of my future in little league.  I can remember our motto was “You stab ‘em and we slab ‘em”. Thinking about it now, I can see how much I did not understand the gravity of mortuaries but I was only 10.  (sorry for the pun – couldn’t help myself)

Life is a lot like playing fast pitch for a Christian.  The world is constantly vying for our attention.  The world shouts “Stop looking to God and trust yourself .. make your own way .. achieve righteousness through your own effort and not by faith and devotion to God.”  It’s natural for us to be distracted by the things of this world.  To trust ourselves.  To make our own way.  But our new life is not natural …. If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation .. old things are passed away .. all things are becoming new … (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are being shaped into the image of Christ.  (Romans 8:29)  And just like the baseball player, we must fix our eyes on the “ball” – even though we might not be confident in ourselves, we must stand in the batter’s box, our confidence that we can hit the ball not because of our ability, but by our faith in Jesus. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone