As part of Lutheran schools night, I was privileged to throw out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game on April 23. I wasn't necessarily nervous about throwing the pitch...until my wife told me I better practice. So, the Sunday before the first pitch, my brother-in-law and I went to a nearby park to throw the ball. I marked off 60'6", the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate, and began throwing. 8 out of 10 throws were making it to the glove without skipping the ball or forcing my brother-in-law to move. However, the 2 times out of 10 that I missed, I missed really, really, bad - 15 feet to the right or left of the catcher is bad. As we were throwing, my wife and children walked up to the park to watch for a few minutes. My 2.5 year old son, James, was particularly intrigued. He watched every throw. The good and the bad. That week, when he would give me a hug before bed time, he would say "Good job playing baseball!" He didn't say, "Good job playing baseball, except for those times you threw it into the woods." He really thought I did great!
 

In much the same way, God looks at what we do in our everyday lives. We can try our best to do everything right. But we were born sinful. God has every right to look at us and say, "Good job, but you still fell short." Certainly, the "wages of sin is death." There is no denying that. But, thanks be to God, that he sent His Son to die for those sins. And we can say with confidence that "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." And when we get to heaven, we do not have to worry about God saying, "Good job, but you still fell short." Our Lord will be waiting for us, with open arms, to say "Well done, good and faithful servant!"