The NFL Draft provided excitement, surprises, and head-scratching picks. All of the expectations and mock drafts went out the window as teams made franchise-altering decisions.
Fans and analysts anticipated teams would go a specific direction with their picks, but that all quickly changed as they revealed their choices.
Interestingly, even if fans are shocked at first, they soon make themselves a believer of their favorite team’s picks (maybe not Giants fans). Of course, there are those who criticize every pick no matter what, but for the most part, fans do their best to jump on board with the selections.
Cardinals fans are trying to tell themselves Kyler Murray will be the first great quarterback they've ever drafted and are convincing themselves that giving up on Josh Rosen is a good decision.
Other teams are telling themselves that taking a tight end in the top ten is wise or are trying to believe that an undersized defensive player is just what their team needs.
At this point, it’s all about feelings, opinions, and beliefs. Fans can talk themselves into anything, but ultimately it comes down to what these draft picks do out on the field. Fans can pump up the selections all day long and pretend like they love the picks, but if the players don’t produce, it just won’t matter.
When it comes to our faith and character, we also try to convince ourselves that what we think is a reality. We pretend we’re obeying God and following His will, but in actuality, we’re not producing fruit in our lives. We can tell ourselves and others that we follow Jesus, but ultimately it comes down to whether or not our lives truly reflect that.
How often do we lead ourselves to believe there’s no sin in our lives and we're good? It's easy to downplay our shortcomings, just so we can tell ourselves everything is fine. Unfortunately, we are most likely lying to ourselves and in need of the truth found in 1 John 1:5-10 (NLT):
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His Word has no place in our hearts.”
As fans, we can sit here today and pump up our team’s draft picks by saying we believe they’re the perfect fit but could be fooling ourselves. Likewise, when we pump ourselves up and act like we have it all together, we’re lying to ourselves.
Every day we need the grace of Jesus to forgive us and empower us to live our lives in the light. We must repent and leave the darkness behind, so we can have fruitful fellowship with Him.
Today, let’s not waste time trying to convince ourselves of a false reality. Instead, let’s stick to the truth that we’re meant to live in the light with Jesus. We are broken and sinful people in need of a Savior.
When we embrace our need for Jesus to forgive our sins and cleanse us from wickedness, we can know for certain we’re making the right move. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know the truth is that I’m a sinner in need of grace. Thank you for Your forgiveness through Jesus. I want to live in the light and have fruitful fellowship with You. Please cleanse me from all wickedness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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