August 19, 2006

Cricket And Christianity

The righteousness of God . . . is revealed . . . through faith in Jesus Christ. —Romans 3:21-22

While visiting Jamaica on a missions trip with high school students, I discovered how much the people there love the game of cricket.

So I asked a Jamaican teenager to explain it to me. We sat on the ground, and he used rocks and sand drawings to help me understand it. Later, as our group was enjoying delicious jerk chicken, some of us watched a televised cricket match while a coach pointed out what was happening. Yet, after 11 days with Jamaicans, I still didn’t understand their favorite game.

I’m sure some Jamaicans feel that way about American football. And millions of people worldwide consider baseball a mystery. One reason we may not like one another’s sports is that we don’t understand them.

Could that be true of the way you view Christianity? Could it be that you dislike it because it seems too complicated? Maybe it seems to you to be about rules and a big thick book with words you don’t understand.

Actually, Christianity is simple: We can be made right with a holy God through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our sins can be forgiven forever (see Romans 3:24,28; 10:9-10). Check it out. You’ll discover why believers love Jesus, and you’ll learn to love Him too. —Dave Branon

For Further Study
If you have questions about what it means to believe in Jesus,
read Do I Have The Right Kind Of Faith?

Faith is the hand that simply receives God’s gift of salvation.

Bible in One Year: Bible in One Year: Psalms 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2