$25 MILLION OR THE HALL OF FAME
This past week (January 8, 2014) three Major Leagues Baseball players were voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. I came to Atlanta the same year as Greg Maddux and what a joy it was to watch him and Tom Glavine pitch. A Chicago Cubs writer headlined an article, “A Character with Character” in referring to Greg Maddux. I became a Braves fan watching Maddux and Glavine and both men are worthy of the honor that is about to bestowed upon them.
On Saturday, January 11, 2014 another major league player was suspended for 162 games which mean a loss of $25 million in salary plus bonuses. “A-Rod” as he is known or Alex Rodriguez, is the highest paid player in major league baseball. He was suspended for allegedly taking performance enhancement drugs. When you look back at those who have broken the rules such as Pete Rose (For gambling on games) or others who have taken PED you are motivated to ask the question, why?
All of these men are talented men but some of them will never be voted into the hall of fame because of their skirting the rules. In life we recognize the need of playing by the rules whether it is sports or any other endeavor. Ask Bernie Madoff about playing investments by the rules. What about those who were Enron employees who caused many folks to lose their savings and retirement? Some are currently behind bars.
Isn’t it strange that in life (Sports, business, education) we expect folks to play by the rules and they are punished if they do not but in our spiritual lives we expect God just to overlook our sins? I can do as I please because God understands. Not so! Read the Bible. If man repents of his sins and obeys the gospel God will forgive. However, we still at times, must pay the consequences in life for those sins.
The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). “…For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
Will you be in the Hall of Fame in The Day of Judgment or consigned to a devils hell because of a refusal to follow the will of God (Matt. 25:31-46)?
Larry