Errors

Big Idea:  We all fall short from time to time, but how we respond s what matters.

Scripture: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

Warm-up:

-Has there ever been a time in life when you messed up? Made an error? How did you respond?

-When someone on your team messes up or makes an error, how do you respond? Do you get mad? Do you tell them they messed up? Do you encourage them to get back out there and get the next one?

Game Time Discussion:

Read the following scripture aloud:  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

–We all know what it feels like to make an error on the field. We’ve all messed up when the pressure was on. We’ve all struck out when we wanted to the least. That’s part of baseball. It’s happened before and it will happen again. No matter how hard we try, there will be times when we mess up and fall short. But what we do after we mess up is what determines the kind of person we become.

-Have you ever known anyone who never admitted when they were wrong? Or thought they didn’t make any mistakes? What was it like to be around someone like that?

 Concluding Thought: The word “sin” is what the Bible calls it when we mess up in life. Just like we make errors on the baseball field, we also make errors in life. All of us have said something we shouldn’t have said, lost our tempers, or lied when we should have told the truth. This is called sin. God’s Word tells us that we all will fall short and sin. The good news is that, even though we have sinned and fallen short, Jesus has paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. Because of what Jesus has done, we can be forgiven when we sin or fall short.

Game Time Challenge: God knew we would mess up in this life. He knew we would fall short from time to time. But guess what, He loves us anyway. God knows every mistake we’ve ever made in the past, and He knows every mistake we will make in the future and He still loves us. God’s word says “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8      Because we know how much God loves us, we can get back out there and live our lives after we make a mistake. If you or your teammate make a mistake on the field today, don’t dwell on it. Choose to get back on track.  Another pitch will come.

Prayer: God, thank you for being a God that loves us regardless of how we perform. Thank you for being a God that died for us even though you knew we would fall short. Help us to not sit in our failure when we mess up. Help us to get back out there and get back after it because your love goes deeper than our performance. AMEN.

Extended reading: Proverbs 24:10, Galatians 5:1