The rules of baseball have changed over the years. Each change significantly alters the game, favoring either pitchers or hitters. For example, today a ball hit down the line that clears the fence in fair territory but curves foul before landing is a home run. Prior to 1920, such a hit was a foul ball! Some hitters lost home runs because of the old rule.

A bigger change came after 1968, the best year for pitchers in baseball history. Don Drysdale pitched six shutouts in a row, Denny McLain won 31 games, and Bob Gibson pitched 13 shutouts and recorded a 1.12 earned-run average! When the American League’s leading hitter, Carl Yastremski, hit only .301 and one of every five games was a shutout, something had to change. The mound was lowered from 15 to 10 inches, and the strike zone was shrunk. It became a whole new ballgame, and batting averages and home-run totals began to escalate.

Revelation 21 – All Things

Believers in Jesus Christ will enjoy a “whole new ballgame,” as circumstances are drastically altered in the eternal state! Though we don’t know many details, the current heaven and earth will pass away to make way for a new heaven and a new (or renovated) earth (Luke 21:33, Psalm 102:25-26, Hebrews 1:10-12). God will dwell with us forever in a fixed, permanent relationship. All things will be renewed in minute detail. Sin, the source of all misery, pain, and death, will never invade the new heaven and new earth. No temptation, no testing, no tears, no night, and no need to rest characterize eternity.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete reflect God’s glory, holiness, and purity as they worship Christ in competition.

Bible Verse: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” Revelation 21:1(LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute: New Ballgame

Our featured book this week is Beyond The Scoreboard (How the Ten Commandments Expose Our Hearts & Point Us to Christ) by Justin Erickson. Justin uses unforgettable sports stories and the timeless truth of the Ten Commandments to show that God’s Law is far more than a list of rules. It is a mirror that exposes the true condition of our hearts and points us to the only One who can change them—Jesus Christ.

Click HERE to review. 

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