I just watched a professional basketball player, who makes millions of dollars a year for his skills, consecutively miss two free throws. I don’t understand that. But then again I don’t understand the pressure he was under to make those relatively simple tosses. Psychological pressure can make the best of us do stupid and foolish things. Free throws are well named. That is exactly what they are. The player can shoot the ball without having a combatant stand in front of him doing his best to block the shot by waving ten foot long arms in his face. All this caused me to reflect on the game of life and I wondered if we ever get any free throws toward victory over sin and temptation or do we always have a combatant in our face doing his best to make us miss?
When Jesus was in the wilderness following his baptism we have record of the master tempter doing all he could to keep Jesus from pursuing His ministry. I seriously doubt if any of us are important enough to have Lucifer himself go after us, but scripture does tell us a third of the angels are fallen, so I think there are plenty to go around. However, by the same token, while we might not get any free throws we might, like in a basketball game, have others to guard us or screen so we have a best chance for a victory.
The point is we do not have to do it alone. In John 14 Jesus promises to send us divine help. At the close of Matthew we are promised that He is always with us. Being who we want to be is a team experience. We never need to be on our own.
Written by Roger Bothwell on May 9, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org