A Foretaste of What's to Come

With the future success of franchises at stake, fans and teams highly anticipated Monday night’s NBA Draft Lottery. We couldn’t wait to see which team had the top pick in next month’s draft. (I was rooting hard for the Charlotte Hornets to win!)

Over the years, numerous drafts have involved a consensus top player who everyone expects will immediately impact any franchise. Most experts agree that this year’s standout player is Duke Phenom Cooper Flagg, the consensus number-one pick.

Although Monday wasn’t the draft, the event set in motion what will officially be revealed on June 25th. Franchises and fan bases knew that if their team won the top pick, they would take Flagg, which would significantly increase the likelihood of being competitive in the future.

Ultimately, and shockingly, the Dallas Mavericks were the big winners of the “Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes,” giving the organization reason to be very excited about the direction of the franchise. Despite only having a 1.8% chance of winning the draft lottery, they were the team to secure the top spot.

For Flagg’s part, even though it’s a foregone conclusion that he will be drafted by the Mavs, Monday night was only a “foretaste.” It’s being reported that the Mavs will draft Flagg and not trade the pick, and during the lottery telecast, Flagg was already asked questions about playing for the Mavs.

However, even though everyone knows where he’s going, he still has to wait to hear his name officially called by the commissioner, receive the benefits of his contract, be given a Mavs jersey, and join his fellow teammates.

Until that day comes, he can prepare and wait confidently for his future. Soon enough, the promise of being the number one pick will come to fruition.

There is a significant parallel to our position as followers of Jesus. When we surrender our lives to Him, repent, and receive God’s free gift of salvation, we are assured of what’s to come.

We know we will spend eternity with God in His perfect Kingdom, so we are filled with hope and confidence that one day, we’ll no longer live in a broken and sinful world but be given glorified bodies.

Until we hear our name called to go home, we wait. We believe it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll soon be in heaven with God and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. However, in the meantime, we long for the day when what is promised is fully revealed.

In Romans 8:18-31 (NLT), Paul explains, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are.

“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

“For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.

“We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us.

“We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently).”

Today, as we face the numerous challenges that come our way and hear the countless stories of evil and brokenness, let’s find hope and confident assurance in our promised future glory.

Our current status is only temporary. We know where we’re going and what’s to come, and it is even better than we can imagine.

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to reflect on Your promises and cling to the assurance You’ve given me for my future. I pray I’d have confident hope as I know my eternity is sealed with You, and any current suffering is only temporary. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.