Baseball has traditionally been called America’s national pastime. It is also expanding in popularity around the world as
more and more foreign countries are adopting the sport. Baseball is the ultimate game of statistics. Every facet of the game is measured, compiled and recorded. Players are compared to each other using various statistics and fans continuously discuss the merits of individual athletes by analyzing the numbers. Perhaps, the most important and analyzed statistic is the
batting average. Batting average measures the success of hitters. A batting average of .300 indicates that a batter gets a base hit in 30% of his at bats. A batting average of .250 is considered mediocre, while a batting average of .333 is considered to be very good. The .250 hitter succeeds in 1 out of every 4 at bats, while the .333 hitter succeeds in 1 out of every 3. The player with a .333 batting average will probably be an “All Star” player. Occasionally, a player bats over .400 (gets 4 hits out of every 10 at bats). The last player to do so was Hall of Famer, Ted Williams in 1941. On the other side, some players bat below .200. Batting averages under .200 are considered to be below the “Mendoza line”. It is called the Mendoza line in reference to a player, Mario Mendoza who consistently had low batting averages. Similar to baseball, we all have “spiritual batting averages”. Some lead Godly lives, are honest and generous etc. Those people have spiritual batting averages at the “All Star” level of .333. Others do not. Maybe they lie, cheat and steal. Perhaps, they are batting at .200. What spiritual batting average do we need to earn
Salvation and spend eternity in Heaven with God? Is it a mediocre .250 or do we need to be all stars and bat .333? The Bible tells us that the minimum requirement to get to Heaven is not .250, .333, or even the Hall of Fame level of .400. We need to bat 1.000 and never make an out: Romans 3:32 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. If we fail just once, we have sinned and fallen short. Yes, God’s Mendoza line is 1.000, anything less and we have failed to earn Salvation. None of us have earned the right to go to Heaven with high “spiritual batting averages”. Fortunately, God provided us with a way out. He sent his only Son to “pinch hit” for us: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross on our behalf. He is our pinch hitter and for the times where we fail, He “goes to bat” for us. Through Jesus Christ, we are able to bat the required 1.000! How can we get the Son of God to become our pinch hitter? "... if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Romans 10:9). We need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and then, we will become the ultimate Hall of Fame player and spend eternity in Heaven with God! Mark Askeda