Weekly Devotional - July 19, 2013

"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

My son is attending a baseball camp this week. I took him to the college campus for check-in then stayed around to watch the first workouts. I love baseball and I love teaching/coaching baseball. I'm just not knowledgeable enough to be good at it! But every chance I get, I watch and listen to the guys that do know what they are talking about.

One of the drills the boys participated in was running to first base. Seems pretty simple, doesn't it? It reminded me of Riley's first day of T-ball. The boys all stood around home plate with the coach. He asked them, "Where is first base?" Riley pointed to third. He has since figured it out!

The coach taught these 12-year-old boys how to run to first. None of them did it right, at first. They looked at the ground or they looked at the sky or they closed their eyes. The end result was that they ran a crooked line to the base and were much slower.

By keeping their eyes on the bag - "Point your nose at the bag," the coach said - they ran straighter and faster. That's the difference between being safe or being out.

We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus as we persevere through life. It makes all the difference in the world! Pray that God will help you stay focused on Jesus today.