Coaching is one of the most noble
professions one can enter into. The
coach does not profit much monetarily from what he does, but what he does
profit from is helping others to succeed.
Athletics are one of the few places left in our modern society where the
values of discipline and hard work are still being taught. Too many young people grow up without a father
in the home and the coach has been able to help fill that role and help teach
kids to do what is right, to get an education, and to keep them from destroying
their own lives. Some coaches even go so
far as to take young people from severely dysfunctional homes and take them in
to live in their own homes. There are many
people today who owe their lives to that one coach who cared and made all the
difference in the world to them.
There are also some coaches who are only
into coaching for themselves. They want
to win and move up in the coaching profession and are willing to do whatever it
takes to achieve their goals. The good
coach still wants to win but he wants to do it the right way and desires to use
his position to help to better young people.
To be a "good" coach and to do it and help others to succeed
is a pretty awesome deal, but it is still not enough to get into heaven.
The problem is that no one is good, but
God. You might think of yourself as good
and point to the good things you have done, but Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our
righteousness is like filthy rags.” You
think you are not all that bad, but Romans 6:23 warns that, "The wages of
sin is death." You deserve death when you sin just one time against a holy God.
You can compare yourself to other coaches and say, "Well at least I
am better than that guy," but that is not enough. The only for you to get into heaven is to
realize that compared to the standard of a holy, righteous, and perfect God, you
are not "good" at all. Most
will get mad at this or dismiss it, but it is the truth.
You may take comfort that you prayed a sincere
prayer one time to accept Christ.
Unfortunately, this is not Biblical.
Jesus didn't beg or ask people to make a decision to let him into their
heart. Rather, He commanded men in Mark
1:15 to "repent and believe in the
gospel." If you are not sure what
the gospel is, you can read the series on What
is the Gospel? at the top of the webpage here. If you are not sure if you have truly
repented and believed, don't worry, the Bible tells you how to know for sure.
"Beware of the false prophets, who
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will
know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs
from thistles, are they? So every good
tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can
a bad tree produce good fruit. Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Matthew 7:15-20
You will be known by your fruit, either
good or bad. There is no such thing as the
carnal Christian, who is both good and bad.
The carnal Christian is not a
Christian at all. If you still cling to
and cherish even one sin, you are not saved.
Period.
You cannot cling on to sin and you
cannot cling on to your works nor your own "goodness." Your only hope is to cling to Jesus
Christ. You must know that God is holy
and you are not. You must repent of your
sin and believe in Christ. To repent
means to turn away from sin and to believe means that to trust in His
righteousness and not your own. Salvation
is impossible for us because we are born with a sinful nature, but Luke
18:26-27 says, "The things that are impossible with people are possible
with God." God has made a way, but
only one way: Jesus is the only way that you can escape the eternity in hell
that you deserve for your sins against God.
Repent and believe in Him.
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