August 25: THE LESSON FROM "BEANBALL"

Do you know what a “beanball” is? It’s when a baseball pitcher intentionally tries to hit the opposing batter in the head with the baseball! Seriously! We are talking about grown men doing something that we would spank their sons for doing. It is a way of intimidating the opposition. It has bad results because then the opposing pitcher throws at your players. It’s bad because the aim is to intentionally hurt someone.
But, then, to intentionally do something bad is another definition of the word “sin”. Sin is rooted in our attitude. For instance, when David began his prayer of confession in Psalm 51, he said, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
The idea behind “transgressions” is an open and intentional going away from God; you might say having a stiff-neck rebellious attitude. This differs from the definition of iniquity as one missing the mark or aiming at a target and not being able to hit it. The definition of sin is that of doing wrong or doing what is displeasing to God.
Regardless of the root of the problem of sin, there is always a bad result, just like with the beanball. Either the thrower or the target gets hurt.
As the Bible says, “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Sin is a faithful paymaster; it always pays off. No I.O.U.’s! No idle threats! No empty promises! It pays off in death. Now that is the painful truth.
You might get by with minimum injury from a beanball but not with sin; it always results in maximum pain.
My conclusion: Avoid a beanball contest AND avoid sin (1 Thessalonians 5:22) We might hear jokes and laughs about beanballs but sin results in tears.

“One of our problems, O God, is that we laugh at serious truths that
should wake us up to reality! Remind us again that sin is not a joke. Amen”