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Back in the day, friends would invite me to meet them somewhere to play a pick-up game of basketball, and few things are more disappointing than showing up to play a game of basketball and seeing a goal with no net. While I might have verbalized my disappointment, it didn’t prevent me from playing. Nevertheless, throughout the game, we would spend most of our time questioning whether or not a guy made a basket or shot an air ball. A net-less basketball goal can be deceiving and disorienting. Of course, few things bring me more enjoyment than shooting a basketball and hitting nothing but net. There’s just something about a “swish” that brings a certain satisfaction, but a net-less basketball goal is utterly dissatisfying. It robs you of a reward.
I wonder what God sees on occasion that fills Him with the same disappointment and dissatisfaction that I feel when I see a basketball goal with no net. Consider the following and take the time to read the passages of Scripture that are attached to these “goals without nets.”
• A Double-Minded Christian (James 1:5-8; 4:4; Matt. 6:24; 22:37-39; Rev. 3:15-16). God is not pleased with Christians who have divided loyalties. Are you wholly devoted to Him? Does God see “two minds” when He sees you?
• A Self-Absorbed Christian (James 3:14-16; Phil. 2:3-8; Gal. 6:2; Matt. 20:26-28). God is not pleased with Christians who are self-centered and seemingly incapable of looking past themselves and serving others. Are you as concerned about the interests and spiritual welfare of others as you are your own?
• A Lily-Livered Christian (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 3:2; Acts 20:23-24; 2 Cor. 11:22-31; Heb. 11:32-38). God is not pleased with Christians who cannot remain committed to His cause despite whatever comes their way. If you had to endure what Paul endured for the sake of Christ, would you remain steadfast or abandon the faith? Are you a committed soldier or a fair-weather civilian?
• A Skin-Deep Christian (1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 4:23; Matt. 5:8; 15:10-20; 23:25-28). God is not pleased with a Christian whose appearance masks a rotten heart. Are you superficial or genuinely authentic? Have you allowed God’s Word to transform you from the inside out?
If one or more of the above characterizes you, then you are a goal without a net in God’s eyes. I don’t want God viewing me like I view a basketball goal with no net (cf. Col. 1:10). How about you?