“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NIV)
As you arise this morning, think of yourself as just getting up out of the on-deck circle at the baseball field, and walking to the batter’s box to face the pitcher. Keep imagining. You glance at the pitcher as he throws a variety of warm-up pitches; fastballs, curve balls, change of pace balls, sinkers, etc. You study his locating of the ball on every pitch; inside, outside, high, low, and right down the middle. Your focus is interrupted by the umpire’s utterance of two words, not unfamiliar, you have heard them year after year, “Batter up!”
You have two more steps before you enter the batter’s box. You are focusing on the need to get a hit and improve your batting average. You are not expecting to get a hit every time, but you are going to try to do so. You know you will not hit one thousand percent, a perfect accomplishment, but you are determined to aim for perfection. Your thoughts to be perfect have you looking beyond Ty Cobb’s Major League Baseball record for a batting average that is .366. You are looking beyond Oscar Charleston’s batting average for the Negro Baseball League, .364. As a matter of fact, your thoughts are not focusing on how well you hit or did not hit the last time you faced this pitcher who is equipped with all kinds of throws. You don’t care what he throws at you! Your attitude, “I’m going to do good and hit well! I’m going to master every pitch he throws.” Good for you! Now, let’s put aside of our imagination and intently look at what I was trying to have you see. Let me be like the Master, Jesus, and break down the “parable.”
You see the batter is you, a member of a team of faithful disciples of Christ Jesus. The batter’s box is where you will stand and face the pitcher. The pitcher is called “Today,” and this pitcher is ready to disrupt your effort to do good and make your coach, Jesus, greatly pleased. The umpire, although kind to all, judges what He sees with no bias; a lot of merciful calls seem to be called, but no calls of bias. If it is a strike, He will let you know. If you swing well, but miss, He will let you know. If you just stood there, looking at “Today” having his way and mastering you, He will call “Timeout” before your strikeout, glance at you and give you time to get it together. Although you cannot see His face, you know He is happy when you handle your business in the batter’s box. He smiles with delight with every pitch you handle well that is thrown by “Today.” Yes, of course, the Umpire has a name! He is God Almighty! Some call Him Elohim! Some call Him Yahweh! Some call Him “Holy One.” His names are too many to list! But I will add this comment. He is the One you want umpiring your game this Wednesday as you face “Today.”
Go master the day! Set a new batting record! Increase your righteous hitting percentage! Finish the day with your uniform of holiness as spotless as possible. When necessary, look toward your batting coach, the Holy Spirit for guidance. Stretch out in prayer! Look at your instructional manual (the Bible) one more time! Get in that the batter’s box and swing away, so at night you will be ready to look toward heaven with joy because you handled all that “Today” threw at you! You can do it! Be blessed!
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King