The question I asked
myself is what if Jesus used a football to teach to the crowds!
Now imagine God being your Quarterback
with a perfect passer rating. This means there are no errors on the part of God
as a QB. Let us hold that constant so any error that occurs will be because of
us wide receivers. As a QB throws a football and as a farmer throws the seed,
God sends us His Word.
I ask you now dear friends, what kind of wide
receiver will you be?
"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As
he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate
it up." (Mark 4:3-4, NIV)
"The farmer sows the
word. Some people are like seed along the path, where
the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word
that was sown in them." (Mark 4:14-15, NIV)
As wide receivers, we need to be in the right position
listening and following the QB’s signals. When the ball is thrown, we can see
it coming towards us but unfortunately there are times we are not positioned
correctly. The end results is it’s taken away by the defense. We just allowed
an interception because we were not in the right position to receive the ball.
In the same way, God sends to us the receivers His Word. We
need to be in a position to hear the Word coming and receive it. But many times
we can have a tendency just to hear the Word and let it end there. The end
result is what’s sown is easily forgotten. It is as if it were taken away.
For that not to happen, it is important to position our
selves correctly.
In football, when a play is misread, the wide receivers
have a general idea what they could have done to position themselves better.
They go and try again without letting the mistake stopping them.
In our
lives, we need to find ways to position ourselves so we not only hear the Word
but also are careful not to let the enemy take it away. It is great to hear the
Word on Sundays and other times but there is nothing like personal experience to
complement corporate experience.
Let us get our life in a position where we can meet alone with God
without having a hardened heart and let Him speak to us so Satan cannot make us
forget the Word. In essence, let us have daily devotional or quiet times. I have
realized that this alone is not enough as scenario 2 sheds more light.
"Some fell on rocky
places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil
was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they
withered because they had no root." (Mark 4:5-6, NIV)
"Others, like seed sown on
rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have
no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because
of the word, they quickly fall away." (Mark 4:16-17, NIV)
As wide receivers, not only do we have to position our selves correctly but
be committed to catching the ball and holding on to it. In excitement, we do get
our hands on the ball but unfortunately we cannot hold on to it because we get
frightened of being tackled as we hear footsteps behind us. In essence we are
not committed 100% to the sport and it results in an incomplete pass. The QB
threw it well and we should have caught it.
In the same way, when God sends His Word, we can now be
in a position to hear it and receive it with joy because we have taken the time
to position our lives to spend time with Him so we know where we should be. This
is a sporadic thing though and not consistent so we have no root. For a short
time we can be getting along fine but then persecution comes our way through
trials and tribulations, we mess up. We may not be committed 100% to carrying
the Word in our lives because of all sorts of persecution ranging from ridicule
from others to low self-esteem on our parts. Also, we may be afraid of what
other people will think of us as we take the Word and run in our lives. So we
drop the Word from our lives and fall to our own ways not wanting to be
committed to God.
For that not to happen, we need to be committed 100% whether
it is carrying a football or carrying God’s Word in our lives.
In football, the wide receiver learns about commitment by spending time
alone, watching clips of himself playing, analyzing the mistakes he has made,
looking at the playbook as important. It is one thing to just look at it and another
thing to study it and practice it. He comes to realize about commitment from his
coach and other players. In essence, he has 100% commitment to become a better
player.
In the same way, the best offense for us would be to
spend time alone thinking through the actions we have done, analyzing the
mistakes we have made, and looking at our playbook (the Word of God) wanting to
improve, not allowing trials and tribulations to hinder us. The playbook (Word
of God) is very important. It is one thing to just look at the Word of God but
another thing to study and practice it.
"Do not let this Book of
the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful." (Joshua 1:8)
You can realize about commitment from the Master coach Jesus
Christ. In essence, you can make a 100% commitment to become a better Word
carrier.
So when persecution comes, you need not be intimidated by
fear but can boldly say, "God has not given me the
spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
(2 Tim 1:7)
I have realized that being positioned correctly to receive
the Word and committed to carrying it is not enough as scenario 3 sheds light.
"Other seed fell among
thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear
grain." (Mark 4:7, NIV)
"Still others, like seed sown
among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of
wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it
unfruitful." (Mark 4:18-19, NIV)
In
football, the wide receiver is now positioned and committed so he is able to
receive the football and run with it even though he hears footsteps behind him.
In excitement, he wants to make the touchdown on his own strength
though without relying on the help of his teammates. The 3 F’s flash in his
mind: fun, fame, and fortune. He now gets the ball and keeps running with
it without realizing the danger he is in. The defense does not give in but piles
upon him stripping the ball away and taking it, causing a fumble and recovering
it.
In the same way, when God sends us His Word, we are
now positioned and committed to receiving it and run our daily lives. We run our
lives well for a while with the joy of the Lord but not wanting other peoples
help though. Soon the worries of this life ‘such as academics, relationships,
careers, and so on’ hit us so hard that we forget our eternal perspective. The
end result is living a secluded life in brokenness making our lives unfruitful.
For that not to happen, it is important to receive the help
that is provided.
In football when a wide receiver fumbles the ball because he is
overpowered by the defense, he should not be shunned by his teammates but he
should take their support next time that they provide it.
In the same way, we should not try to be a
lone-ranger Christian in our lives. We should not think we don’t need anyone’s
help. We should follow God’s Word and take His help leaving the worries of this
life in His Helping Hands! He provides His help in many ways mainly through His
Church, the body of believers.
"Let Him have all your
worries and cares for He is always thinking about you and watching everything
that concerns you." (1 Peter 5:7)
Going to Church, small groups, fellowships, retreats etc will give us a
support structure that will help supplement our time with the Lord and be an
effective wide receiver as we carry the Word continuously with us. We need to do
our part but also depend on others the Lord wants to use in our lives.
"They devoted themselves
to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and
to prayer...They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and
sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord
added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)
After we are positioned correctly to receive the Word, committed to
carrying the Word, and are in a community of believers in the Word, we are now in a
position as wide receivers to win with the Word in our lives as scenario 4
shows.
"Still other seed fell on good
soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a
hundred times." (Mark 4:8, NIV)
"Others, like seed sown on good
soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a
hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:20, NIV)
In football, the wide receiver now sees and hears the
football coming. He knows he should position himself in the right place, be
committed to what he is doing. He receives the football and runs with it making
sure to take the help and support of all his teammates. While his teammates
block the defense, the result is 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 TOUCHDOWN!!!
In the same way when God sends us His Word, we now position our lives according to His plan and commit to carrying the Word. We do not stop
there but are part of a community of believers in the Word. When we run, we now
know the essence of teamwork. We ask God to take control of our lives and submit
ourselves 100% to Him. While we are running, when the devil attacks us we draw
our strength from being part of a community of believers in the Word and our
personal relationship with the Lord through prayer and study of His Word. The
result is 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 ETERNITY. We have gained a spiritual touchdown
against our adversary, Satan. In God's eyes we become a champion and that's the
best championship we can have because we will be surrounded by the Ultimate
Champion: Jesus Christ!
"Carry each other’s burdens, and this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ."
"Farming/Football Offers Omnipotent Truths By
Almighty Lord's
Lessons!" (F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L)/"What kind
of football receiver will you be?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the parable of the 4 seeds and how you used Kevin
to explain the parable using a football diagram on the board. Lord, because of
that I was able to analyze the similarities between farming and football and
come up with this devotional. Oh Lord, I wonder if you were walking the earth
today if you would have used football. Thank you for the applications and
principles I have gotten out of your Word. Lord, help us please to be those on
good soil so we can have victory as Christians. We need your help Lord for many
times we fail and go back to the other soils and we don't like that. Lord, even
when we mess up you are there to put us back on the right track. Thank you for
your awesome promises. I pray Oh Lord that people's hearts would be touched and
that they would come to know you more and more and have an excitement to study
your Word and meditate on it. Please help us in our Christian walk for your
honor and glory as we live here on earth. Thank you so much Jesus for all your
help! Thank you for hearing us and answering us. We are so sorry for our sins
and give ourselves to you acknowledging you as our Lord and Personal Savior.
Please come into our heart and make our heart your home. Live in us Jesus and we
will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of our lives. Thank you for
being our Lord and Personal Savior, for saving us. Whatever your will for our
lives, give us the willingness and strength to bear it as we turn ourselves to
thee. Thank you Jesus we can turn to you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!