In this analogy, I imagined Jesus sharing the parable using football. I see God as the Quarterback (QB) with a 100% passer rating who commits no errors in how He sends the football. I see the football as God's Word. I see all of us as wide receivers who have a tendency to commit errors. I see the things that hinder us from receiving the football and running with it as the opposition.

"Listen, a quarterback with a perfect passer rating, throws the football. As He throws the football, the football travelled  along the path, and the defense came and took it away from the wide receiver creating an interception... Some humans are like those along the path where the Word is sent to be sown. As soon as they hear it, the opposition comes and takes away the word that was sown through a deadly interception. In this case the opposition is Satan."

I asked myself why an interception of the wide receiver takes place?

As wide receivers, when we are not in the right position, proactively hearing and following the quarterback's signals when the ball is thrown, even though we can see it coming towards us, because we are not positioned correctly along the right path, it is taken away by the defense along that path. The end result is we have let the football be devoured by the opposition through a process called an interception.

I asked myself why does Satan come and take away the Word that was sown in people's lives creating an interception?

As humans, when we are are not in the right position,  even though we hear the Word sown in our lives, since we are not positioned correctly to be proactively hearing and following God's Word, as soon as we hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown creating a deadly interception that could endanger our well being.

I asked myself what is the remedy in this situation to avoid an interception of God's Word?

For that not to happen, it is important to position our selves correctly.

In the game, 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 interception becoming the end of their careers.

 In our lives, we need to find ways to position ourselves instead of thinking Satan had his way with us and that's the end of it. Instead, we should spend time with God and proactively hear the Word to ensure Satan will not take it away. It is great to hear the Word on Sundays and other times but there is nothing like personal time with the Lord. It is through this personal time with God that helps us position our lives correctly to proactively hear God's Word.

So, 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 quiet times that are of quality so we do not become like those along the path where the Word is taken away.  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)

"The wide receivers now hear the football coming and receive it with joy. But these wide receivers have no root, so they last only a short time on the field. When opposition comes because of the football they received, they cannot hold on to it but will drop it.... Humans can hear the Word and at once receive it with joy. But if they have no root, they last only a short time in their faith  because when  trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, they will quickly fall away."

I asked myself why does an incomplete pass occur for the wide receiver even if the quarterback did not make the mistake?

As wide receivers, even after we position ourselves correctly and in excitement are able to receive the football, if we are not 100% rooted in the game because we are dealing with troubles or persecution in whatever form it may come on the field, we will drop the football creating an incomplete pass.

I asked myself why can God's Word become an incomplete pass in our lives causing us to quickly fall away even when God sends it to us without errors?

As humans, even if we are positioned correctly along the right path knowing where we should be so Satan cannot come and take away the Word from us and we finally receive the Word with joy, if we are not rooted in God's Word consistently, we will have no root creating an incomplete faith in our lives causing us to fall away by dropping the Word from our lives because we are unable to deal with  troubles or persecutions that come our way whether it be ridicule, low-self esteem, afraid of what people will think of us when we follow God's Word, etc.

I asked myself what is the remedy in this situation to avoid an incomplete pass in our lives to avoid quickly falling away?

For that not to happen, we need to be committed to be rooted 100% which includes positioning ourselves correctly.

In football, the wide receiver learns about being rooted in the game 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 daily. He comes to realize the importance of commitment from his coach. In essence, he has commitment to be rooted 100% in the game despite of troubles and persecutions he may encounter.

In our lives, 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) becoming a workmanship for God allowing Him to help us to do good works instead of  allowing trials and tribulations to hinder us. The playbook (Word of God) is very important. It is one thing to just hear the Word of God and receive it with joy but another thing to hear the Word of God proactively, and receive it with joy proactively to be rooted in us by study and practice of God's Word so as not to quickly fall away.

"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 be 100% rooted in God's Word daily 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 hear the Word proactively, and receive the Word with joy being rooted in it and 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)

"The wide receivers have the football but want to run with it on their own, creating a fumble, and not bearing any yards.  Humans can hear the Word but if they are a lone-ranger letting the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for others things to control them, it will choke the Word from their lives, making it unfruitful, creating a fumble for the opposition"

I asked myself why does a fumble occur for the wide receiver?

In the game, even if the wide receiver is now positioned correctly along the path so no interception occurs, receives the football with joy without dropping it for an incomplete pass because he/she is rooted in the game, the fumble could occur because he/she wants to make the touchdown on his/her own strength though without relying on the help of his/her teammates. The 3 F’s may have flashed in the person's mind: fun, fame, and fortune. He/she now gets the ball and keeps running with it without realizing the danger he/she is in. The defense does not give in but forces the ball loose, stripping the ball away and then taking it, causing a fumble.

I asked myself why can God's Word become fumbled in our lives?

As humans, even if we are now positioned correctly along the path, rooted in to receive God's Word joyously and run with it in our daily lives, if we do not take the help of God's community that He provides for us whether it be through small group Bible studies, church, Sunday School, etc, we will become a lone ranger with individualistic ideals wanting to accomplish things on our own, letting the worries of this life (academics, relationships, careers, etc) the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things to control us and choke the Word from our lives, making it unfruitful, living a life of brokenness, causing God's Word to be fumbled in our lives.

I asked myself what is the remedy in this situation to avoid a fumble of God's Word?

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 trying to attain the touchdown on his own strength, for his own glory, he needs to understand that there is no 'i' in team but a community effort just like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have won the NFC and AFC championships, playing as a community, building each other up. The wide receiver needs to take a path that will provide him the resistance from the opposition so the football can be carried successfully after it is along the right path, received with joy being rooted in him/her to run with.

In our lives,  we should not try to be a lone-ranger Christian. We should not think we don’t need anyone’s help. When we hear God's Word by positioning ourselves correctly, receive it with joy and run with it being rooted in it, we should also have a communal perspective instead of a individualistic lone-ranger perspective. It is in community that the Lord builds His children up for His purposes using the Church, the body of believers to let the Word produce fruit which supplements our own daily time with the Lord. Community without personal time with the Lord will be less effective too. Both need to supplement each other.

"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)

Again, 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 depend on the Lord so He can transform us by His grace as we proactively apply the Word so we do not let the Word be fumbled 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)

"The football in the hands of the wide receiver along the good path produced a touch down across 100 yards.... Humans who hear God's Word proactively, accept it with joy being rooted in God's Word daily through Quiet Times knowing the importance of being in community produce fruit yielding thirty, sixty, or hundred times for the Kingdom attaining a touchdown from where they started."

I asked myself how did the wide receiver make a touchdown?

In football, the wide receiver now sees and hears the football coming because he is actively engaged by positioning himself in the right place, being rooted 100% in the game receiving the football with joy, running 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 our lives, when God sends us His Word, we now position our lives according to His plan and commit to carrying the Word by being so rooted in the Word through our Quiet Times with Him to have a DEEPER FAITH. 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. While we are running, when the devil attacks us, we draw our strength from being part of a STRONGER COMMUNITY of believers in the Word supplementing 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 making a GREATER IMPACT for His Kingdom. (Deeper Faith, Stronger Community, Greater Impact are the 3 desires of Oakland International Fellowship for one another)

"Carry each other’s burdens, and this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)

I ask you now dear friend, what if Jesus talked F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L in our lives?

Dear friend, you have read how the terminology of football such as interceptions, incomplete passes, fumbles, and a touchdown were used to explain four different hearts and how God's Word worked in those hearts. In those hearts, only one heart is the receptive heart that bears complete fruit but the rest of the hearts are a hardened heart (along the path), an unstable heart (rocky road), and a selfish heart (among thorns). The football analogy was used to expand on those hearts to see which is the only heart where God's Word would produce fruit.

I pray you come to realize the importance of a receptive heart that Christ wants you to have by His grace.

The purpose of today's devotional was for me to understand the role God's Word plays in different hearts through a football analogy and how true growth in the Lord can only come by having a receptive heart that hears God's Word proactively daily,  receives it with joy being rooted in Him by drawing our nourishment in Him daily, and is part of a community of believers daily instead of living a selfish, individualistic lifestyle.

"Football Offers Omnipotent Truths By Almighty Lord's Lessons!" (F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L)/"What if Jesus talked F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L in our lives?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word and how you have used a farming example to reach the people of that day. That example can still be used to teach us the type of heart we are. I thank you for the opportunity to be able to make an analogy to football and understand different hearts through a football analogy. Oh Lord, please help us not to be aligned with a hardened heart, unstable heart, or a selfish heart that becomes a thorn in other people's lives. We want to have a receptive heart to hear you proactively, receive your Word with joy always being rooted in you and drawing our nourishment from you, and being part of a community of believers you have put in our lives so we all can grow together in deeper faith, stronger community, and have a greater impact for your Kingdom's sake even as we spend solitary time with you. Thanks so much Jesus. Help me to apply all I have learned for your honor and glory. Thank you Oh Lord. Please Oh Lord forgive us our sins, hear our prayers, and answer us Oh Lord for we are so sorry for our sin. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you that you hear us and answer us as we turn to you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

"May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)