Joe's Life on NG Road- his words for opening devotion...

Baseball’s Bible

For those of you who don’t follow sports, last Thursday was the Opening Day of the Major League baseball season.  This is a favorite time for me personally not just because I am a fan of the game, it signals that it is time to shake off the bleakness of winter and replace it with the green grass and warmer days of spring.  It is a time of re-birth and optimism.

You know God is a baseball fan as well from the first verse in the bible – In the Big Inning, God created the heavens and the earth.  And of course the commandment, thou shalt not steal.

Baseball and the faith have been companions over the years, most teams have a chapel in their clubhouse, which is unusual in the workplace.  Many players lean on their faith for the encouragement that is essential in a profession whose best performers fail 70% of the time. 

Many players sign their autographs with bible verses and there are usually two major themes in the verses they select – 1). verses that remind them to live into their potential while serving God and 2).  verses that help them stay humble, not an easy task for millionaire superstars.  I thought I would share some of my favorite verses.

Philippians 4:13. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”  For a group of athletes whose livelihoods depend on self-motivation, and continual production you can image why this is a particularly popular verse with baseball players.

Another verse that gets signed often on baseballs is Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I think the popularity of this verse is due to the nature of the job of playing baseball.  It takes significant natural ability to either throw or hit a 95 m.p.h fastball.   I think this verse reassures and reminds the players who sign it that there is a purpose in the abilities they have been given by God.

Another popular verse is Mark 8:36. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”  As I mentioned earlier, baseball clubhouses are no strangers to religion, yet there are few places in the world where it would be more challenging to live in a Biblical way, right? The money, the baseball hangers on, the relentless feeding of one’s ego make it particularly difficult.

The baseball bible is a simple bible, it’s about coming to grips with a God given ability that has provided an enviable lifestyle playing a kid’s game, while aspiring to remain humble in the eyes of the Lord.  The next time you watch a game think about how God is working through the players on the field to bring joy and happiness to the those of us who follow the game, also consider the challenges they struggle with each day.