The Scorebook
I was doing prep work for the Boys Sweet 16 a bit ago. I was working on my scoresheets. They are pretty common among broadcasters. Some just buy a commercially produced scorebook. I like making my own. Like most it has players information (name, number, height, grade, averages, percentages etc) and a place to mark scores and fouls. As I was working on my prep this evening, something hit me like a ton of bricks.
In life, I think many (if not all) people keep a scorebook. You do something nice and you get a tally in points column. Do something wrong and you get a foul. Say something nice to me and I give you a point! Hurt my feelings and I give you a foul. Be cruel to my friend, FOUL! Gossip about me, FOUL! Do anything that I think you shouldn't do, FOUL!!!!
There are a couple of problems with this mentality. First of all, we are told countless times in scripture to love each other. In John 15 Jesus tells us to love one another as He has loved us. In John 13 Jesus tells us that others will know we are His followers by how we love one another. John says in his first epistle, chapter 4 that we must love one another because love comes from God. If we don't love each other, then we don't even know God. The kicker of it all is this. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church he says in chapter 13 that love keeps no record of wrongs. Uh oh! Yes! Our scorebooks are just that! A record of the fouls we have called on others.
The main problem, however, with our scorebooks is that we don't have the right to award points or assess fouls. You see, that is God's responsibility. God is the only official in this game. He alone is capable of assessing punishment for our breaking of the rules. And, unlike in a basketball game, we have the opportunity to repent and have those fouls erased through God's tremendous grace, love and mercy. His forgiveness is such that we erases our fouls and then forgets them. He takes our fouls away as far as the east is from the west. We often have trouble forgiving, much less forgetting.
Aren't you glad nobody here can foul you out of the game of life? Most of us show very little forgiveness or mercy when it comes to others who hurt us in some way or don't live up to how we think they should live.
My suggestion is to throw away your whistle and your scorebook, pick up your Bible and read what it has to say about love. grace, mercy forgiveness. Apply it to your own life and don't worry as much about keep score with others. I think people try to do this so they can compare themselves with others and use them as a measuring stick. But the problem with that is, I am not your measuring stick. If you measure your life by me, you will look pretty good! But the measuring stick is Jesus Christ. Compare your life with His and if you measure up, then, and only then, do you have the right to score the game.
God bless and have a wonderful evening!
In life, I think many (if not all) people keep a scorebook. You do something nice and you get a tally in points column. Do something wrong and you get a foul. Say something nice to me and I give you a point! Hurt my feelings and I give you a foul. Be cruel to my friend, FOUL! Gossip about me, FOUL! Do anything that I think you shouldn't do, FOUL!!!!
There are a couple of problems with this mentality. First of all, we are told countless times in scripture to love each other. In John 15 Jesus tells us to love one another as He has loved us. In John 13 Jesus tells us that others will know we are His followers by how we love one another. John says in his first epistle, chapter 4 that we must love one another because love comes from God. If we don't love each other, then we don't even know God. The kicker of it all is this. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church he says in chapter 13 that love keeps no record of wrongs. Uh oh! Yes! Our scorebooks are just that! A record of the fouls we have called on others.
The main problem, however, with our scorebooks is that we don't have the right to award points or assess fouls. You see, that is God's responsibility. God is the only official in this game. He alone is capable of assessing punishment for our breaking of the rules. And, unlike in a basketball game, we have the opportunity to repent and have those fouls erased through God's tremendous grace, love and mercy. His forgiveness is such that we erases our fouls and then forgets them. He takes our fouls away as far as the east is from the west. We often have trouble forgiving, much less forgetting.
Aren't you glad nobody here can foul you out of the game of life? Most of us show very little forgiveness or mercy when it comes to others who hurt us in some way or don't live up to how we think they should live.
My suggestion is to throw away your whistle and your scorebook, pick up your Bible and read what it has to say about love. grace, mercy forgiveness. Apply it to your own life and don't worry as much about keep score with others. I think people try to do this so they can compare themselves with others and use them as a measuring stick. But the problem with that is, I am not your measuring stick. If you measure your life by me, you will look pretty good! But the measuring stick is Jesus Christ. Compare your life with His and if you measure up, then, and only then, do you have the right to score the game.
God bless and have a wonderful evening!
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