Number One Draft Choice
Well, here we are in the New Year. New Year’s resolutions, the end of our breaks from school and work, and the end of the College Football Bowl games marathon. How many here watched any of the bowl games offered this year? Did anyone get burnt out watching too much football?
I caught bits and pieces of games throughout the past few weeks. Yes, I said weeks. Does anyone know how many college bowl games are played? Starting with the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 18th thru the Rose Bowl on Jan. 3rd, you have the option of watching 25 bowl games, 5 on New Year’s Eve and 6 more on New Year’s Day!
I remember as a kid there were 5, maybe 6 total! Now they have the GMAC Bowl, the Jeep Seattle Bowl, the Gallery Furniture.Com Bowl, the Motor City Bowl, the Humanitarian Bowl, just to name a few. A little bit of overkill, if you ask me.
On the other hand, if we look at these games from the perspective of the college seniors playing in them, all these extra games give them one more chance to impress the pro scouts. You see, some of these kids want to go on to play professional football and if they play well enough, they could be CHOSEN in the draft this summer.
The scouts have been watching these seniors for years, charting their progress, their times in the 40 yard dash, how much they can bench-press, how far they can throw the ball, how many sacks they had, etc. If the numbers are right, some pro team might CHOOSE them to become part of the team.
It all depends upon the player, his effort, his desire, and, of course, how much money he is willing to accept in return for his being a part of the team. And if a player has an outstanding game in one of these bowl games that would increase his value and he might move up in the draft.
So, on draft day this summer, representatives from all of the teams in the NFL will gather will all of their numbers, their number crunchers, their personnel for judging talent, all of their stat sheets, and stacks and stacks of papers on each player, and start CHOOSING the players they want to draft for their team. The BEST player out all the hundreds of players available will be the NUMBER ONE DRAFT CHOICE. Maybe he had more passing yardage, or led his teams to the most victories, or whatever.
But on the results of HIS effort and work, based on what HE did, he will be judged worthy to be the number one draft choice. Maybe he will justify his ranking, maybe not. We’ve seen quite a few #1 busts the past few years. Ones who didn’t quite live up to their numbers or hype.
You may not realize it, but life is a lot like college football and these bowl games. We’re striving toward playing in the “big leagues”, better known as heaven. We want to be CHOSEN to play on that team. Well, I’ve got good news for you! The draft has already been held and you have been chosen. A long time ago, before, as we read in Genesis 1:1, God created the heavens and earth, He had a draft. God had his clipboard with all of our stats on them. He’s looking them over, checking the game tapes, and finally makes His decision.
GOD: “Mmm, (name), works too long at the office, plays too much golf, a sinner. I want him on my team. He’s my number one draft choice.
Now let’s see, (name), oh yeah, only comes to church at Easter and Christmas, yells at her kids, another sinner. I want her on my team. She’s my number one draft choice. Okay, (name), oho, drives way too fast, eats some of the grapes before paying for them, ANOTHER sinner. I want her on my team. She’s my number one draft choice. Mm,(name), oh boy, doesn’t rewind the video tapes before returning them, hides some of the cookies for himself, another sinner. I want him on my team. He’s my number one draft choice.
You see, each one of us is God’s number one draft choice. God drafted us all as the FIRST pick in the 1st round. Unlike those college football players, we can’t do ANYTHING to improve our ranking on draft day. Actually, even though we’re not even worthy to BE drafted, God made each one of us His number one draft choice. Unlike those college players, God CHOSE us in spite of our stat sheets.
We, as Presbyterians, believe we are chosen, which leads to some interesting discussions with people of other beliefs. I can’t tell you how many people, upon hearing I’m a Presbyterian, give this knowing look and an, “Oh, yeah. You’re the ones who believe in that “being chosen”, predestination stuff.” So I have to explain to them that predestination is NOT “Presbyterian” doctrine. It is a BIBLICAL doctrine. That is our scripture for today.
Most people read predestination as God choosing us and we have no say so in the matter. We’re just puppets. I explain to them that’s not how it works. The example I like to use is the story of the 2000 NBA draft when the Vancouver Grizzlies drafted Steve Francis as their #1 pick. Well, he refused to play for them. They couldn’t come to terms so the Grizzlies traded him to the Houston Rockets. He was CHOSEN, but refused to play for the team that chose him. Therefore, he was traded to another team.
So, before we even existed, we had been “chosen” to play on God’s team. Now, of course we have to do our part. Just like the players drafted out of college have to sign a contract or make a commitment, we, too, must make a commitment to the owner of the team that chose us. And just like the #1 draft pick from college usually gets a huge signing bonus, when we, as #1 draft picks, accept being chosen, we also get a huge signing bonus. And ours is much better than money. Ours is our ticket to heaven.
Now even though this kid is a #1 draft pick, maybe even a Heisman trophy winner, he still has a rough road ahead of him. He will have high expectations placed on him, and he will be hassled by the veterans of the team, made to carry their luggage, sing his college fight song at dinner, being made to fetch things, and so on.
This in addition to the regular trials of conditioning, scrimmages, 2 a day practices, the endless up/downs and windsprints, blocking drills, all under the heat of an unforgiving, blazing sun. But all of these things will help to mold him into the player that will contribute to the betterment of the team and his teammates can count on when the game is on the line.
Likewise, when we are chosen and “join God’s team”, we will have rough times ahead. We WILL be tested and it won’t always be easy. As Christians, we will have high expectations placed upon us, by God AND people. We will be persecuted. We will have regular trials. There will be scrimmages (battles with evil forces). There will be endless up/downs (we’ll be knocked down and we must continue to get up). There will be blocking drills (blocking the temptations in our lives). There will be windsprints (sometimes when we run from God & sometimes when we run to catch up with Him because we’ve gotten sidetracked). All of this will be under the heat of the unforgiving, blazing sun of scrutiny of others who don’t believe as we do.
But remember friends and teammates, what James tells us in chapter 1, verse 3, “the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” Through the tests we will undergo as members of the team, we will be molded into the type of player who will contribute to the betterment of God’s team and whose teammates can count on when the game is on the line.
Finally, the young kid from college, this #1 draft choice, will be rewarded for his efforts. He will receive a salary for his work and he will receive the benefits of being a member of the team.
As members of God’s team, we to, will be rewarded and receive the benefits of being a member of the team. We will be “…blessed…in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and “to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Let’s be clear on this, too. We will NOT be rewarded for our efforts or anything that we do and the benefits and blessings we receive are NOT a home waiting for us in heaven. Remember, our ticket to heaven was our “signing bonus”. No, the benefits and blessings we receive are above and beyond that.
Now, of course, we don’t have enough time today to talk about all of the blessings we will receive from God in our lives. But just a few that come to mind are family, time, freedom, faith, miracle of birth, hope, friends, God’s love, community, music, technology, compassion, and the list could go on. We all could name hundreds of blessings we have received from God.
No, unlike the #1 draft choice who can count his blessings in dollar signs, our blessings are too numerous to count. We are overwhelmingly blessed because before our lives began, before the beginning of the world, God chose us. He chose to adopt as His children, a bunch of lowly, worthless, undeserving sinners. We have been chosen!
So, no matter what our stat sheets say, no matter what trials we have to endure, through no effort or work on our part, we have been chosen and blessed. We are children of God. AMEN!
