“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)

Eternal Confidence

Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is credited with saying, “Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.” The quote highlights Berra’s unique personality, but also points out the importance of the mental side of sports. Confidence is crucial for every athlete. In a sport like baseball, where failing seven out of ten times is considered a success, a player’s level of confidence can make or break a career. In sports, the question isn’t as much if you will struggle, but if you still believe in your abilities when you are struggling.

We can be confident because of what Jesus did on the cross for us and His resurrection three days later. God gave us the gift of eternal life by sacrificing his Son to pay for our sins. We need to remember eternal life is just that; a gift. We didn’t do anything to earn or deserve it. Like every gift, it came at a price. This central truth of the Bible obviously has an eternal impact, but it also has an immediate one.

Christ’s resurrection has the ability to transform every aspect of our lives right now. Through the Resurrection, death was defeated, which should change the way we live every day. Sin doesn’t need to rule our lives and we have hope because Christ died and then rose again! We can live the rest of our lives full of confidence knowing God conquered the grave and gave us eternal life.

– Joshua Doering

If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com