Although the MLB season should have already started, they are on hold like most sports. Having such a long season, there is hope they’ll resume at some point, but nobody really knows what to expect. Unfortunately, there's still a chance the season could be canceled altogether.
There is an interesting side story to the possibility of the season not being played. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, “Former Houston Astros manager, AJ Hinch, and ex-Astros general manager, Jeff Luhnow, will fulfill their one-season suspensions for the team's sign-stealing scandal even if no baseball is played in 2020.”
Based on commissioner Rob Manfred's ruling, both men received one-year bans that will end following the completion of the 2020 World Series (even if it's not played).
Sources told Olney that "because the suspensions are tied to the end of the 2020 postseason rather than a specific number of games, MLB will view Luhnow and Hinch as having served their discipline this year.”
This is a fascinating subplot and plenty of people will feel this isn’t justice for what happened with the Astros organization. But if their debt to Major League Baseball is considered “fulfilled,” even without the season being played, that is great news for Luhnow and Hinch.
Far greater news for all of us is that our sin debt and the ultimate punishment we deserve have been declared “fulfilled” because of Jesus. Thankfully, He was willing to die on the cross on our behalf and paid the price for sin so that we could be saved.
Romans 6:23 (AMP) explains, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When we receive His grace and forgiveness and place our faith in the resurrected Jesus, there is nothing else we need to do to pay for our sin. It is fulfilled and finished in Jesus!
The Bible tells us in Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT), ”You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 (AMP) gives us this assurance: “He made Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God .”
Today, let's allow the Gospel truth to fill us with awe, humility, and gratitude. I'm Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I am undeserving of Your grace, but I am so grateful you sent Jesus to take on the punishment for sin on my behalf. I rest in the reality that I am forgiven and in right standing with You, only because of Jesus. It's in His name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What does grace mean to you?
What happens when you lose sight of the truth that Jesus has already paid our sin debt in full?
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