We are less than ten days away from Major League Baseball (hopefully) starting up their 60-game regular season. Although the games will still have bats and balls, plenty of changes will be put in place to protect against the coronavirus.

We can assume players are eager to get back out on the field and keep getting paid to play baseball, but the big question is how serious will they take the health and safety guidelines.

Have they read MLB’s 100-page handbook? Will they truly stop high-fiving or spitting? Will pitchers stick to the wet rags in their back pockets and not lick their fingers?

To make it through the season and into the playoffs, players are going to have to exercise an immense amount of self-control and self-discipline by changing their habits and doing what’s necessary to stay healthy.

It’s expected that teams who stick to the guidelines will end up putting themselves in the best position to win this season.

ESPN.com writer, Alden Gonzalez, has an article out with the headline, “Discipline in a Pandemic Might be the Ultimate Competitive Advantage in MLB.”

He explains, “And yet, in spite of the exhaustive detail in baseball’s operations manual, the fate of this season — if there ultimately is one — will hinge on the countless choices made by hundreds of people in dozens of locations on an everyday basis.

“It will come down to discipline and accountability, not instruction and protocol. In the words of one veteran infielder: ‘The team that has the fewest positive cases is gonna win the World Series.’”

It’s true, baseball can put together the best set of rules and protocols, but if the players aren’t willing to follow them and operate with self-discipline and self-control, the season will end up having numerous issues.

The question to unpack today is how we view God’s Word (“operations manual”) and the standards and principles that protect us and keep us spiritually healthy.

Do we take His commandments seriously by living with self-control and self-discipline or do we blow them off? Do we realize the “competitive advantage” we have when we live a life of obedience to God’s Word through the power of His Spirit enabling us to do so?

Titus 2:11-12 (ESV) tells us, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age…”

We will find ourselves in the best position to thrive, standing firm until the end, and protected against the spread of sin in our lives when we’re surrendered to God’s ways, and committed to living with self-control and self-discipline.

Major League Baseball players will be continually tempted to fall back into their old ways and habits. But those who choose to be disciplined throughout the season will remain focused on the goal of staying healthy and competing for a World Series.

The same is true for us, so we must fix our eyes on Jesus and focus on eternity.

In 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NLT), Paul puts it this way: “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Today, let’s be encouraged to keep taking God’s Word seriously by living out His commandments and principles for right living.

Our everyday choices impact our lives and those around us, so let’s continue to pursue self-discipline and self-control…and have “the ultimate competitive advantage” as spiritually healthy followers of Jesus.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please show me how to rely on Your Spirit to help me remain self-disciplined and self-controlled. I renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and pray I’d keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and stay eternally minded. Thank you for Your grace and salvation. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.