When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. [Deuteronomy 18:9 (NLT)]
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [Romans 12:2 (NLT)]
Jackie Robinson was an American hero. A man of enormous talent, good character, and tremendous courage, he broke the color barrier by being the first black player in major league baseball. This sports legend has been a role model for children of all colors. How sad that his name was recently dishonored by the actions of a few men who knowingly broke the rules of Little League baseball.
Last year, Chicago was thrilled to finally have a winning baseball team, even if it was a group of inner city youngsters from the Jackie Robinson West Little League. It was the heartwarming story of the summer as we learned about these disadvantaged kids who moved victoriously through the Little League International World Series tournament. They made it all the way to the finals before losing to South Korea. The city rallied around the team: money was raised for their travel expenses, watching parties were organized, parades were held and the team members even visited the White House. These children accomplished a great deal and no one says they didn’t play fair. The adults involved, however, cheated by placing players on the team who were unqualified because they lived outside the league’s boundaries. The team has now been stripped of its U.S. title and of all the victories that led to that championship.
This wasn’t the first Little League scandal; in fact, it’s the third time a team has had its World Series wins vacated because of similar rule infractions. Cheating and sports are becoming synonymous: doping scandals, DeflateGate, point shaving, gambling, and even using nondisabled players at the Paralympic games! It’s not just in sports either; respected newscasters are revealed as liars and we find scandals in the once respected institutions of the Secret Service, universities, government and even the church. As my Grandmother used to say, “It looks like we’re all going to Hell in a hand basket!”
The Israelites were called to live holy lives and warned not to imitate the customs of the pagan Canaanites. We are still called to live holy lives and warned not to imitate the sinful ways of the world. That’s difficult, however, when immoral, criminal and evil behavior seem to be an everyday occurrence. More important, we all know that children learn by imitating their elders. What kinds of examples are they getting in this fallen world of ours?
Father, show us how to live in such a way that we remain untouched by the evil of our world. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we follow the example of your son, Jesus Christ, and can become role models of Christian life.
Devotions of the Heart 