You are God's #1 Draft Pick

It’s football season! Okay, it may be pre-season, but still it’s football season! I love football. Now we get to see the draft picks & new recruits who made it thru training camp, where they were trained & conditioned & put thru tests of endurance & scrimmages. This is their opportunity to prove their worth before another round of cuts come along. The few that manage to impress the coaching staff will continue to play with the team in regular season games & might even make it to the Superbowl! But let’s back up about 6 months. Lets go back to the end of February. There is a 3 day showcase that is held in February called the NFL Scouting Combine. This is an invitation only opportunity for players to perform in front of coaches, GMS & scouts. They are put thru a series of physical & mental tests. Some of these tests include:
40 yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 20 & 60 yd shuttle & interviews.
This gives the coaches, GMs & scouts an advantage for the NFL draft. They begin to narrow down their choices for their rosters & decide which players they might want to conduct contract negotiations with.
NFL teams use the month of March to wine & dine their favorites. They do their best to sell their town & team, they put together an offer that can’t be refused.
Can you imagine what is is like to be wined & dined, to have teams compete for you, to anticipate being chosen by a Super Bowl Champion team?
Just for fun, I looked up some of the Chiefs first round draft picks. We find names like
Dwayne Bowe, Larry Johnson, Tony Gonzalez, Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith & Art Still ~I had to include Art’s name because his daughter is friends w/my daughter.
Now, how about some all time #1 draft picks:
Buck Buchanan, OJ Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning & brother Eli Manning.
And last year’s Jake Long~ who signed a 5 year, 57.75 million dollar deal w/Miami Dolphins & became the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
Stop & think about that for a minute. This 1st round draft pick is a very wealthy man. But did his team win the Superbowl? Did Miami turn out to be all it was promised? Does he feel secure & happy to be a part of the Dolphins team? Are all of his physical, mental & emotional needs met by being a part of this team? The answer to all of these questions is probably NO!
So, what if I told you, you could be a part of a team that delivers what it promises. A team that will eventually win the greatest battle of all time. A team who’s GM created the entire universe & holds it in the palm of his hands. A GM who was willing to sacrifice His own son in order to have you as a part of His team for eternity.
Jesus was sent to earth a type of scout & recruiter. He put together a team of 12 disciples. And the Bible tells us the story of his 1st round draft picks.
They were fisherman named Simon & Andrew. Jesus said to them, “Come & follow me & I will make you fishers of men.” They followed Jesus & became a part of His team of disciples.
We could say that some of the disciples dropped a few passes & fumbled a few times, but eventually the disciples became scouts & recruiters. Jesus sent them out w/this command, “Go into the world & preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes & is baptized will be saved.” So the disciples went out & preached& many people were saved & became a part of God’s team.
There’s no 2 million dollar signing bonus for joining God’s team. But the treasures he offers are priceless. How about unconditional love, forgiveness, someone you can talk to 24/7 & He will listen when you are angry or sad or ramble on about nothing. He is a friend, a shield, a comforter & a savior. The Bible says “If God is for you who can be against you?”
You were created by God for His purpose & He considers you His #1 draft pick.
God is still scouting the hearts of men & Jesus Christ is recruiting still today.
Unlike the NFL Scouting Combine, this invitation is open to everyone & there’s only 1 test -
Will you accept Jesus Christ as your savior?
If you are willing to answer yes you can become a part of God’s team!