Known as “The Flying Scotsman,” Eric Liddell ran to victory in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He won a gold medal in the 400 meter and set a world record with his time of 47.6 seconds.

Matthew’s Gospel contains a sermon Jesus gave—a talk we refer to as His Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon Jesus taught about humility, love, the law of God, prayer, and how to live the Christian life. There were two aspects to this sermon that made it truly revolutionary. The first is that this sermon was preached by God incarnate, the God-man Jesus Christ. He was the living Word, preaching and teaching with authority.

Many of us accept the fact that sin surrounds us. It’s no secret that the world is corrupted and distorted. Our responsibility, however, is not necessarily to ignore sin and ignore the way that it affects us, but rather to realize the way it affects us and our spiritual walk. 

Look back on the last few days and examine your thoughts, your actions, the words you have spoken, the television shows you have watched, the music you have listened to, and the things you have purchased. For some of us, maybe these things aren’t considered all that bad—especially by the world’s standards—but are they pleasing to the Lord? Do they edify our flesh or our spirit?

In our house, it has become a family tradition to watch the Little League World Series. We start checking the calendar in early July to see when the games will start, and, by the end of August, we are on a virtual first-name basis with most of the kids we watch. Heck, we still talk about Kyle Carter, and that was six years ago!

As a baseball family ourselves, it’s heartwarming to see the camaraderie, sportsmanship and pure joy of 12-year-olds playing baseball. Even though they are playing in front of crowds of more than 40,000 and under the spotlight of ESPN coverage, these kids muster up the courage to play because they love the game!