Where Are You Looking?

When I coached softball, I drilled it into the players to LOOK at the 1st base coach as soon as you hit the ball.  Don't look at the BALL you just hit...but immediately start to RUN towards 1st base--keeping your EYES FIXED on the 1st base coach.  I was very adamant about this!  Why?  Because if they took their eyes of that person, they'd run a crooked path down the 1st base line, which would slow them down and cause them to take more steps than necessary.  And--a step or two out-of-line could cost them being thrown out at 1st!

Same thing holds true with our Christian walk:  We need to keep our EYES FIXED on Jesus.  We need to RUN the way He's asked us to run.

There's also a 3rd base coach in softball.  As the players round 2nd base, they knew they were then to LOOK at the 3rd base coach for instructions (whether to "hold" at 2nd, run to 3rd, or go on HOME)  And waiting for you at HOME is the coach and your teammates--to congratulate you.  Those in the stands have been cheering you on and erupt in rejoicing when you cross that HOMEplate. 

It's a long way from 1st to homeplate!  There may be many STOPS (single-base hit; double; triple) along the way; you may get thrown-out once in a while, or hit a foul-ball or two, but the Lord will see to it that we WIN in the end.  The VICTORY is ours, if we stay in the game and play by the rules!

You may be standing on 1st base,  2nd, or maybe you're standing on 3rd.  There are no outs.  The winning run is on 3rd.  Jesus is the next batter.  Satan is the pitcher; he throws his best fast-ball.  And what does Jesus do?  He hits a "sacrifice" ball, which allows the runners to advance.  The runner on 3rd runs to HOME....crosses the plate...and we win!  VICTORY (in Jesus)!!!    Now that's something to cheer about!