Courting With Trouble

The one sport that I simply can’t stand is basketball. It moves way too fast. Too much happens simultaneously. There are too many people in too small of a space. There are too many penalties I don’t understand. That’s why I don’t watch basketball. There are always those people who say “You can’t say you don’t like brussel sprouts until you’ve tried them,” so I can at least say I have played basketball…once…in P.E. class…with horrible, horrible results. Someone actually passed me the ball, much to my surprise. My excitement about participating was all too short-lived. I was called on three penalties.

One was traveling. Apparently, I was supposed to dribble the ball and walk at the same time. That’s just an accident waiting to happen. The other two were a complete shock: Backcourt and Double Dribble. Backcourt means once you dribble the ball past the halfway point of the court toward your goal, you can’t go back over the halfway line. Double Dribble means…well, I still don’t get it. It’s something dealing with dribbling the ball with one hand and then switching hands. I don’t know why that would be wrong.

The fact that I was unaware of such strange rules didn’t spare me from the penalties and embarrassment involved. On the contrary, I suffered just the same. Whether or not I know what the Bible says, I will still be judged by its contents. If I read and keep all the commandments of the Bible except for one thing – let’s say loving my neighbor as myself, even though that’s pretty obvious – I’ll still be convicted for that one thing. James reminds us of this: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10, NKJV).

This makes me think of the story of the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-22). He had kept all the commandments from his youth, sure. However, when he had the opportunity to turn his faith into something more active, he let that chance pass him by and went on his way, sorrowful. I feel sorry for the Rich Young Ruler and his bad decision.

Are you reading your Bible so you’ll be ready for the final exam?