Earlier this spring, I took pickleball lessons. One hour a week for four weeks. Oh. I learned to play pickleball, and I’ve been playing it weekly ever since. It’s a fun sport for us non-sporty retirees. Yeah. Injuries can happen. I’ve heard the horror stories. And I’ve noticed that my pickleball group and I have continued to improve from our once weekly games. We have seen definite improvement week over week. We’re getting better, but we’re nowhere near pro status. That isn’t our goal. We just want to have fun.
When we were leaving the courts last week, I saw a sign indicating it was time to register for pickleball leagues for the fall. I’m not ready for that. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for that. I’m still very much a beginner. I dug around on the park district’s website to learn more about the park’s fall pickleball plans. I discovered that they offer a three-week clinic for beginner and intermediate players. I think I’ll join. I want to sharpen my skills and solidify my knowledge of the rules, which is somewhat slippery at times. There are lots of rules in pickleball.
I sent the link to my pickleball crew, but it seems that no one can join me. And that’s ok. I can sharpen my skills with a new group of beginners. But I wonder. When will I stop seeing myself as a beginner? Because, at this point, I feel I don’t do anything intentionally when I’m playing. The way I serve or volley or lob or dink just happen. And yes, dink is a pickleball term. I want to be an intentional player.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
I became a Christian when I was a young child. I remember the night. Our church was having a revival, and we went to church every night for about a week. And it was during the school year. My family never missed a service, so we went every night regardless of whether we had school the next day or not. At the end of the service one night, I went to the altar and asked Jesus to forgive my sins. I became a new creation in Christ that night. I think I was eight or nine.
Oh. My family attended church every time the church doors were open. If there was a service or an event at church, we were there. I attended Sunday School, church, prayer meetings, revival services, missionary meetings, VBS and church camp. It was what we did. We went to church. My parents were faithful followers of Christ, and they instilled that practice into their children.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, the same as taking pickleball classes doesn’t make you a pickleball champion. There is a learning process and the daily practice of abiding by biblical principles that grow our relationship with Christ. Yes. We still need to attend church and attend often. We need to be involved with fellow believers. And we should be involved in the work of the church in some way. But works don’t make us a Christian, and works won’t get us into heaven.
It’s the daily laying down of our will and surrendering to walking the path of Christianity that helps grow our faith. In order to know God’s Word, we must read it on a regular basis. And we must study the Bible. It isn’t enough to just read it. It isn’t a novel we read once and then set aside. We must dig into it and seek to understand what God is saying to us. We must spend time in prayer, not just praying for things we want. We must pray for the needs of others, and we must pray for our spiritual and political leaders. We must pray that people who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior will make that commitment. Actually, we must pray about everything. There is nothing off limits that we can’t pray about. And we must practice sound biblical ethics. There’s no point in becoming a Christian if we still plan to lie, cheat and steal and commit other ungodly behaviors.
Being a new Christian is similar to being a novice pickleballer. We need to be mentored by someone who has spent years honing their commitment to Christ and then are willing to share that knowledge with newbies. We can sign up for the new Bible study group at church, so we can learn more about God’s Word and build relationships with other believers. Oh sure. Getting involved with others may be risky. But isn’t going it alone just as risky? Anyone who’s ever tried to play pickleball alone knows it’s impossible. You can hit the ball against a wall all you want, but it isn’t the same as playing a game with a foursome of players. To get the full effect of pickleball, you need to play real games with other players. It’s the same in Christianity. We must spend time with other believers who will encourage us and sharpen us in our walk with Christ. We need accountability.
Oh. Neither pickleball or Christianity are rocket science, but there is a learning curve as a beginner. And what I mean is that, as a Christian, we need to find solid biblical teachers to guide us. Just as my first pickleball instructor left out a lot of pickleball rules and details that beginners need to know, some Bible teachers interpret Scriptures incorrectly and can lead new believers down the wrong path. And there are “Bible” teachers and people who identify as Christians who don’t teach biblical truths. We need to find Christian teachers who teach sound biblical truths. They’re out there, but you may have to search until you find a biblically sound church with solid preachers and teachers. Just don’t stop learning and don’t settle for questionable teaching. You won’t regret all the biblical truths and practices you will learn if you make a habit of lifelong learning.
Mercy for the Day 