Personal Foul

On the other side of the field, a Katy Tiger football player broke the rules. The referee threw the yellow flag and then preceded to give the signal for the infraction. Apparently the football player added an extra hit or shove and was charged with a "personal foul." Sitting to my right, Jennifer Haar made a very interesting comment. She said, "I would hate to have a yellow flag thrown at me every time I made a personal foul." Not only was it a self-deprecating comment, it was also very insightful. What would happen if every time we committed a "personal foul," a yellow flag was thrown from the heavens, and we were penalized fifteen yards? How many flags would you get in a day, a week, or a month? What would be some of your personal flags?

Several thoughts came to mind as I pondered the thought of being penalized. Only Christians would be penalized. This may surprise you. The position of the Christian is different than the non-Christian. Christians are in the game. Non-Christians are not, so how can they be penalized? If you are not in the game, in a sense, it does not matter if you are a practicing homosexual, a gossiper, a slanderer, a murderer, or an adulterer. If you are not in the game, you probably do not even believe there is a game going on. Why condemn someone who is not even on the team? There is a lot of animosity built up these days with people who are not even playing. They will even say that they do not want to participate. I am not saying that this precludes standing up for what you believe regarding societal issues, it is the personal attacks that I believe are worthless. However, we should do all we can to get everyone to join the team.

What are the penalties? Fifteen yards for illegal use of hands, five yards for being off sides -- not exactly. The penalty is that we go backwards instead of moving forward. Moving forward is the direction of spiritual growth. When we are moving forward, then we make a wrong choice, we end up struggling to get ahead. We need to keep moving forward, even if it is by inches. As Paul the Apostle would say, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead (Phil. 3:13). In other words, moving forward towards Christlikeness.


If you are in the game, how do you avoid penalties? Study and meditate on the playbook (Bible), talk with the coach often (Jesus), and allow yourself to be refreshed (Holy Spirit). In Christ is where the blessings flow!

Everyone deserves a choice. "Do you want to get in the game, or not?" The "game" is to be "living in Christ." Maybe if you are not in the game, when you die, you believe nothing will happen. Death is the end. If that is the case, "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we will surely die!" However, I believe that after the game, there is going to be an after game celebration, and I want to be there! Stay out of the game, and it is going to be curtains, which are going to be on fire! I'm not going to take a chance (see Paschal's Wager). What about you?

When the football game is over, the statistics are tallied -- offensive yards, rushing, passing, first downs, etc. The number of penalties and total yards penalized are also counted. The numbers are usually something like 6/75 -- meaning 6 penalties for a total of 75 yards. When the Jesus team arrives in heaven, the yardage for penalties is 0/00. In spite of the game we played on earth, the referee in heaven has a different way of keeping count of our mistakes. When we give our life to Christ, our penalties are perpetually erased. As it is written in the game plan:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Whose team are you on?