Sabbath Thought – Batting Average

The world of sports has many great analogies for our spiritual calling. Even the Apostle Paul used a few sports analogies to illustrate some very important Bible principles.

In the world of baseball, there is one such analogy that we can draw from in our spiritual walk. For those not familiar with the sport, it can be assumed that a very good batter will have a high success rate of hitting a pitch. This number is known as a batting average. This batting average is calculated on how many hits (getting on base) versus at-bats. But how high of a batting average is needed to be considered a very good batter? Surprisingly, it is only an average of .300 or higher to get on base compared to the total of at-bats. There have only been 211 baseball players in the whole history of organized baseball that have had a lifetime batting average of .300 or higher.

And yet, batting averages is just one aspect of what makes a great baseball player. How good are they in their position? For a pitcher, the earned run average is a more important number. Does a player make a lot of errors? Are they a good player in a “clutch” situation? Are they quick thinking to force plays against the opposing team?

In our spiritual walk we can easily assume that we must be a certain measure of “perfection” to be acceptable before God, but God looks at more than one “statistic” of our calling in terms of judging us for salvation. He looks at how we practice justice, mercy and faith (Micah 6:8, Matthew 23:23). He looks at how much we fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13)? He looks at how we are doing in overcoming sin (ruling over it – Genesis 4:7, Revelation 2&3 to the Churches).

He looks at these things and more over the course of our calling in order to know whether He can give us eternal life, but also to know the reward (the responsibility) He can give us in His Kingdom. Christ is preparing a place for us now in that Kingdom (John 14:2). We will have the privilege to sit beside Christ on His throne (Psalm 110:1).

What does your spiritual “batting average” look like? Thankfully, it is not made over the course a single time at the plate, or the course of one season, or even over a couple of years. Our legacy will be determined over the course of our life. Our success is determined in how we live up to the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Those baseball players who achieved a lifetime average of .300 or higher achieved that success one at-bat at a time. Consistency was the key. The pitch in front of them was the focus. If we have the same approach spiritually speaking, we will hear from our Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant…,” (Matthew 25:23).

I pray you have a very wonderful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

28 June, 2025