A few weeks back I got news my beloved Arkansas Razorbacks got beat by the stinkin’ Alabama Crimson Tide. ‘Bama completed a touchdown pass with 8 seconds left in the game and the Tide won it 41-38. Now, Alabama’s DJ Hall did not catch the winning pass, but he did have a huge night – 6 catches, 172 yards and 2 touchdowns! Of course, I didn’t see the game, but from what I heard Hall owned Arkansas cornerback Jerell Norton. Thing about playing in the secondary folks, is you got to be in the right place at the right time, it’s all about positioning yourself to make a play. Problem is, if you find yourself in the WRONG position you’re gonna get burned! It works the same way with the Lord – for real, think about it. Last week I was sitting in Pastor Kelli Gordon’s bible class and she read a quote that went something like this, “It’s our job to place (or position) ourselves where God’s mercies (or blessings) can reach us.” Well that got me to thinking, on the playing field of life we find ourselves in all kinds of “positions” – some good, some not so good. And if God finds us out of “position”, what usually happens? – we get burned. So how do we get in the right “position?” How do we posture ourselves to receive God’s blessings? Because rest assured, He does want to bless us. Jesus has the answer for us in Matthew 5. In fact, it’s one of the first things He teaches His disciples. So I take that to mean Jesus, first and foremost, wants us to experience the love, mercies and blessings of His heavenly Father. “God blesses those who REALIZE THEIR NEED for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.” “God blesses those WHO ARE MERCIFUL for they will be shown mercy.” “God blesses those WHOSE HEARTS ARE PURE, for they will see God.” “God blesses those who WORK FOR PEACE, for they will be called the children of God.” Now these are just a few ways we can find ourselves in the right “position” to receive God’s mercy and love. The deal is this folks; everyone’s playing field of life looks different. How you get into the right position is between you and God. I know this, for me it all starts with Matthew 22:37, where Jesus says we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. Because it’s only thru love can we truly realize our need for God, or be merciful to others, or have pure hearts, or work for peace, or do whatever. It all starts with love for our Heavenly Father. I know many times I still find myself out of position, but the key is recognizing it, and then making some adjustments. By the way, two games later Norton found himself in the right position when he picked off a pass against North Texas and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown! Hogs won the game 66-7
