When is the run scored in baseball? Suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Boston Red Sox’s batter hits a Grand Slam in the bottom of the ninth against the dreaded Yankees trailing by 3 runs…when is the game over?
Some may think the game is over when the ball crosses the Green Monster, but this is not so. The run is not scored UNTIL the foot touches the plate. BTW: as an aside, which comes first (1) the run scored, or (2) the foot touching the plate. The answer is dual: (1) in terms of chronology, the events are simultaneous, but (2) in terms of logic, the foot must touch the plate first.
…back from chasing chickens we continue our discussion of wants. Beloved, what would be the most ridiculous action the batter could take after hitting the game-winning grand slam…how about hitting the showers BEFORE his foot hits the plate. Trust me, if any of us hit a home run to win a game we would WANT to run the bases. We would WANT to run the victory lap around the diamond.
So too, must be the Christian life. The ball has crossed over the fence, the home run has been hit…you HAVE BEEN justified. Now, dear Christian, run the bases, score the run, receive your prize. Run with endurance, run with joy, run with desire…desire to be changed…desire to be like Christ.
Beloved, we must run the bases; we must BE sanctified (made holy, made like Christ) or else the run is never scored and we are not saved.
- “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13).
- “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Rom 6:22).
- “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).
You MUST BE sanctified. You MUST BE changed. God is not done with you yet. The base path lays ahead of you. You must run…it is a duty to run…it must be a duty of delight.
If God is not done with us yet; if God is still conforming us into the image of His Son, then we should expect to find out THIS day, at least one area where we must change. Please do not be surprised when the sin of another squeezes sin out of you. Rejoice!
You may not have known that response was in you. You surely did not know that desire behind that response was lurking in your soul. Beloved…you have no problems save the wrong headed desires in your own soul. Thank God that He has shown you where you must change…even if He had to use painful circumstances.
God wants and works you to be like Christ..and He will every means necessary to accomplish the same. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess 5:23-24).
The watershed want is this: Do I want to be more like Christ or not?
10,000 Blessings in The Sanctifer,
Jim