Safe at Home
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT
I don't know much about baseball statistics, but I do know this: even the best hitters fail...a lot.
A batter who gets a hit just three out of every ten times is considered an outstanding player. Think about that. Seven trips to the plate end in disappointment, and they're still headed to the Hall of Fame.
Failure is simply part of the game.
The same is true in life.
Every day we step into the batter's box hoping we'll finally get everything right. We promise ourselves we'll be more patient, more loving, more faithful, more disciplined. We take our best swing.
And we miss.
Sometimes we strike out because of our own choices. Sometimes life throws a pitch we never saw coming. Sometimes we get bruised by things we never deserved. Sometimes we're so afraid of failing that we stop swinging altogether.
No matter how hard we try, our batting average is never perfect.
Neither is our heart.
The Bible says we've all fallen short. Every one of us. None of us can earn our way into God's family by being good enough, trying harder, or cleaning ourselves up. Left to ourselves, we'd never make it home.
That's why we need Jesus.
Jesus didn't simply cheer from the dugout or offer hitting tips from the sidelines.
He stepped into the batter's box for us.
He lived the perfect life we never could. He never missed. He never sinned. Then He willingly took the penalty our failures deserved when He died on the cross. Three days later, He rose again, defeating sin and death once and for all.
Now, when we place our trust in Him, God no longer sees our record. He sees Christ's.
That's grace.
One day, every one of us will stand before God. Our hope won't be found in our batting average. It won't be in how many good deeds we managed to pile up. It won't be in how hard we swung.
Our hope will be in Jesus alone.
Because of Him, when we finally arrive home, we won't hear, "Out."
We'll hear the only verdict that matters:
"Safe."
You are loved!