God's Coaching #178

God's Coaching #178

Brian Roberts screamed in fear. As a five-year-old, he didn’t know all the details of his upcoming surgery. It was better that way. Doctors were about to cut a Y-shaped incision in his chest and briefly stop his heartbeat to patch a hole in his heart. Brian didn’t understand all this, but he knew enough to be scared. So as the doctors wheeled him into the operating room, he reached out and cried for his parents.

Nearly 30 years later, things turned out quite well for Brian. After the successful surgery, he eventually became one of the best leadoff hitters and second basemen in Major League Baseball. In his first 10 seasons, he made two all-star teams, and in 2009, he became only the fourth player in major league history to hit 50 doubles in at least three seasons. Not bad for a guy who had a bad ticker as a kid.

What’s the Score?

The truth is that, like Brian, we were all born with a heart problem. But our problem is not a medical condition. It’s far worse. It’s a spiritual crisis that threatens our eternal standing before God. We were born with sinful hearts. King David understood this well. In Psalm 51:5, he wrote, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (NIV). And the writer of Proverbs 20:9 said, “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” (NIV). The obvious answer is no one. This is a major problem, because the Bible also says that only the pure in heart will see God in heaven (Matthew 5:8).

Without help, our wicked hearts separate us from God forever. That’s why later in Psalm 51, David pleads with God to “create in me a pure heart.” Thankfully for us, God mercifully answers this prayer. How? you ask. By providing the perfect heart-cleaning remedy in his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and when we put our faith in him, he cleans our hearts and makes them acceptable to God. And you can take this wonderful truth to heart!

On the Ball

Read Psalm 51 as a prayer to God. Ask your parents for help with any words or phrases you don’t understand.

Coach’s Comment

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (NIV)