Last weekend was the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. I imagine you’re familiar with it. I grew up near it. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is an annual National Football League (NFL) preseason exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, held the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s induction ceremonies. The game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, part of the Hall of Fame Village and located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building. The first game was played in August 1962, the year when ground was broken for the Hall of Fame, and it was used as a fundraiser for the construction project.
The game is held on a Thursday since 2017 and between July 31 and August 6 and is used to mark the opening of the NFL preseason. It is anticipated by fans and viewers as the first NFL contest since the prior season's Super Bowl, held six months earlier.
But the truly big event of Hall of Fame Weekend is that they celebrate and welcome players to induction into the Hall for their contributions when they were players in the NFL. This year’s inductees were …
Drew Brees: Legendary quarterback for the New Orleans Saints who finished his career as one of the most prolific passers in NFL history.
Roger Craig: Multi-dimensional running back for the San Francisco 49ers and the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
Larry Fitzgerald: Longtime Arizona Cardinals star and one of the most dominant wide receivers ever to play the game, finishing second all-time in career receiving yards.
Luke Kuechly: Dominant linebacker for the Carolina Panthers who earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013 and became the second-youngest player ever inducted into the Hall of Fame at age 35.
Adam Vinatieri: Widely considered the most clutch kicker in NFL history and the league's all-time leading scorer, winning four Super Bowls over his career with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
Of all the football players who have ever played the game, there are currently only 357 members in the Hall of Fame.
We see many other areas of life where people get rewarded for their legacies and contributions they made with their work and lives. Have you ever wondered where this idea originated? The idea originated with God Himself.
Scripture tells us this: Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he REWARDS those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NIV
Jesus: “I bring my rewards with me. I will award each person according to what they have done.” Revelation 22:12 NIRV
One day we will finish the game of life, and time as we know it will be no more. There will be a Hall of Fame reward celebration. No one will be overlooked by the selection process. Each person will be called forward and rewarded for their contributions and how they lived. We all have our own game to play, and we will all be rewarded for it. These rewards will not for hundreds of years or even thousands of years, they will last for all eternity.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV
That day is coming. Play your game. Run your race so that you will be rewarded with the crown of God’s approval, which will last forever and ever.