Update: I’m reposting this article I wrote a couple of years ago about Josh Hamilton because the Rangers just made it to the American League Championship Series in Major League Baseball. Last year he publicly fell again, not as far as he had in the past, but it just showed how powerful the flesh can be and how it is an ongoing battle for him… and for all of us. Plus I’ve included a new video testimony at the bottom.

Josh Hamilton, a professional baseball player for the Texas Rangers, is an amazing testimony of God’s power to redeem and change a life. You might have heard about Josh Hamilton recently because he put on an impressive show last week at the Home Run Derby, breaking the record by hitting 28 home runs in one round. You can watch all the impressive home runs by Josh Hamilton at MLB’s website here. He even hit three more than 500 feet! In addition to the Derby performance, Hamilton currently leads the Majors in RBIs.

Hamilton’s amazing performance is made all the more impressive when you find out that not too long ago, he was deep within the dark pit of drug addiction. He says that his last drug use was October 6, 2005.

Hamilton has a great testimony of how God brought him out of the mire of his sin. ESPN.com published part of his story and it made a deep impression on me. You see, Hamilton became a Christian when he was 18. Not long after that, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted him number one overall and gave him a huge signing bonus. With all of this new-found personal glory, Hamilton began to idolize baseball and his own desires instead of worshiping Christ alone.

Everyone expected Hamilton to take off, and he did not disappoint. But not long after his career got going, he was in an auto accident that sidelined him for an extended period. Without his daily routine of going to the ball park, he now had a lot of time on his hands and plenty of money to spend. His idol was removed from his life, and he filled that void by becoming addicted to drugs. He would go on multi-week binges and was in and out of rehab programs with no lasting success.

God finally took him to the bottom where Hamilton could no longer depend on himself and had no choice but to turn back to God. Once he reached that point, God started working. Hamilton is where he is today totally because of God’s work in his life. God worked a miracle–a “God thing” as Hamilton describes it. Just ask Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry how incredible this is.

What most impresses me about Hamilton’s story isn’t as much where he’s been but where he is at right now spiritually. Hamilton doesn’t refer to himself as a drug addict in the past tense but in the current tense. He is completely capable of falling back into sin and the moment he stops denying himself will probably be the beginning of his downfall. Hamilton acknowledges this openly and admits to his weaknesses. He remains broken and fully dependent on Christ.

Christ made it clear that all of his followers must adopt the same attitude of brokenness. Mark 8:34 says:

Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Hamilton’s story makes me ask myself, “Am I really denying myself or am I living for myself?” “Do I take up my cross with Christ to go die to self or am I living for myself?” “Am I following Christ or am I living for myself?”

The Mark 8:34 life is a moment-by-moment denial of self and acceptance of Christ and the life he has for you. It is living in the truth of the Gospel. Colosians 2:6 says, “Therefore just as you first received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.” But what exactly does that mean? It means that we continue to believe the truth of the Gospel by living it out. But what does it mean to live out the Gospel?

Here are some points on what it is not:

• Making something other than Christ the lord of your life.
• Thinking that your sin isn’t really that bad. “I certainly have never done anything as bad as Josh Hamilton!”
• Thinking that when you sin you can just work your way through it yourself. This means you figure out how you can manage it or you’ll just work harder next time.
• Thinking that you are pretty good on your own and don’t need cleaning or much cleaning.
• Thinking that you can depend on your own strengths, intellect, knowledge, talent, money, etc.

And here is what it means to “continue to live our lives in him”:

• Christ is the Lord of my whole life.
• I acknowledge that I cannot make myself good or on my own bring value to God.
• I acknowledge the truth of what sin is and that I cannot clean myself of it.
• I trust God to clean me of sin through Christ’s work alone on the cross.

When you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ you are living as you first believed. Where I so frequently mess up is by not going to Christ for forgiveness but rather just resolving to work harder. Instead, I should simply go to him and say, “Lord, forgive me for that sin. You died for that sin and thank you for forgiving me. I need your strength to overcome.” If I don’t do that immediately, then later my prayer has to also include asking forgiveness for relying on my own strength rather than on Him.

Josh Hamilton’s story is an example to all of us of what happens when you make something else the lord of your life or think you can deal with sin on your own. Hamilton was not rescued until he “continued to live” his life in Christ.  Neither will we experience victory over sin in our own lives until we continue to daily take up our cross and humbly follow after Christ.

Here is a short excerpt from the first page:

God makes it quite clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need: His Son, Jesus Christ. In all His dealings with us, He works by taking us out of the way and substituting Christ in our place. The Son of God died instead for us for our forgiveness; He lives instead of us for our deliverance. So we can speak of two substitutions: a Substitute on the cross who secures our forgiveness and a Substitute within who secures our victory. It will help us greatly, and save us from much confusion, if we keep constantly before us this fact: God will answer all our questions in one way and one way only, namely, by showing us more of His Son.

And isn’t that truth confirmed through the experience of the mature Christian? We are constantly struggling with simply telling God, “I know that Christ and his work on the cross is the answer, but I don’t like that answer, God.” “I know that Christ is sufficient for me, but that isn’t what I want.”

Nee’s point is also made by Paul in a different way in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

And this also echos what Jack said in his sermon last Sunday. We aren’t content in what we have because we don’t want what God is offering. We want something else. And isn’t that the height of foolishness? The all powerful God wants to give us all of himself and we say “no thanks, I’d rather have this measly temporal thing.”

But are we truly content with our “weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities”?

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley.

At first I saw Christ as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there, sort of like the president, I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him.

But later on, when I recognized His presence, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride, but it was a tendem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.

I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life hasn’t been the same since. When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains and through rocky places and at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even through it looked like madness, He said, “Pedal!”

I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are You taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. When I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people who had gifts I needed–gifts of healing, acceptance, and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, Christ’s and mine.

And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I didn’t trust Him at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it. But He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high rocks, fly to shorten scary passages.

And I’m learning to be quiet and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion.

And when I’m sure I just can’t do it any more, He just smiles and says, “Pedal.”

Joe posted on his blog the following post that puts it all in perspective. Read on to see the whole post…

Glimpses Of God’s Goodness

by Joe Holman

Looking at these photos makes you doubt my title. If you have been keeping up with the news lately, then you konw that here in Bolivia we are experiencing ‘unrest’. Some of the events have made international headlines (like the Ambassador being kicked out), while most of what is going on is local. Yet in the midst of this turmoil, we have been surrounded by the goodness of God. Let me share what I mean, in asending order with the last being the greatest.

1. The Leadership Of Our Mission. One of the reasons that SIM appealed to us was the strength, commitment, maturity and wisdom of the leadership. Throughout this ‘crisis’, our leadership has proven to be focused on Jesus and the Mission. They have been a calming influence due to the trust we have in them. God works in and through leadership, and seeing Him working through SIM has been GOOD.

2. The Commitment Of Missionaries. I have truly seen the GOODNESS of God in watching the hearts of loyalty and commitment of my fellow missionaries, both SIM and other mission agencies. It is a joy to see people fully surrendered to the call of God and walking by faith in Him…even when sight seems dim. (This is not a self-brag…I am a wimp…I am talking about watching the courageous hearts of those I know here.).

3. Relationships. Having friends and family with us. Darlene (Denise’s mom) and oru friend Shelly have been here for a couple of weeks. Just their being here reminds us of what really matters–people. They, along with our other friends here, have let us see the GOODNESS of God in His love manifested through others. We have celebrated Patience’s birthday, and my birthday during the last week. Both events overshadowed any negative things that have happened. Love always defeats hate!

4. The Most Important Way That We Have Seen God’s Goodness…

The gift of life. The gift of personhood. The gift of family. The gift of love. God’s goodness in the birth of Mercy so overwhelmed anything else in the world…Life…what a gift of God. Children truly are the blessing of God.

Living In His Goodness…All The Time,
Joe