January 20, 2014 - Late Game Strategy

Yesterday I had the opportunity to share about InBounds Ministries during the “Missions Moment” at our church. I planned to show a promo video and then share some upcoming opportunities for volunteers – but God called an audible and changed my plans at the line of scrimmage… Now I will share what He laid on my heart with you…

Being that it is playoff time in the NFL I was thinking about late game strategy…

·         What do you do in the 4^th quarter when you have the lead? Run the ball; chew up clock; the clock is your friend!

·         What do you do in the 4^th quarter when you are losing? Pass the ball; try to get out of bounds to stop the clock (every second counts); the clock is your enemy!

·         What about when you are tied? Do you go hard for the win?

I thought specifically about the playoffs last year when the Broncos had the ball on their own 20 with 31 seconds on the clock; they also had 2 time outs; and happened to have one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. The game was tied. That was enough time to at least get into field goal range… But instead the coach instructed Peyton Manning to take a knee and run the clock out; he decided they would take their chances in overtime… and the lost to the Ravens.

Late game strategy is not just about football. I believe God has called us during this time to play for the win… not to take a knee. There is no overtime in this thing called life. When the time clock reads 00:00 it is game over!

Jesus reminds us in Luke 10:2 that “laborers are few” and we should pray for “the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Yet He also tells us in John 4:35 that the “fields … are already white for harvest.” In other words the clock is running down, it’s late in the game, and we need to score!

It is time to value every second and stay aggressive on offense! Our offense: sharing the Gospel! “It is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes!” (Romans 1:16)