HEY, WHAT'S UP, GUYS? I'M RASHAD JENNINGS,
RETIRED NFL RUNNING BACK WITH THE NEW YORK GIANTS,
NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR,
AND THE BOOK TITLED: "THE IF IN LIFE", AND ALSO
"DANCING WITH THE STARS" SEASON 24 CHAMP.
AND I AM HUMBLE TO GET A CHANCE TO TELL YOU
ABOUT ONE THING THAT I'M PROUD OF BRAGGING
OVER ALL OF THOSE ACCOLADES, AND THAT'S WHO JESUS CHRIST IS.
I GREW UP A FIFTH-STRING RUNNING BACK, OVERWEIGHT, CHUBBY KID,
GLASSES, ASTHMA, HAD A .6 GPA AVERAGE AT ONE POINT IN TIME.
BY ALL ACCOUNTS, I SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
SAY ANY OF THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH MY NAME
THAT I MENTIONED TO YOU PREVIOUSLY,
SO MUCH TO THE POINT TEACHERS,
ADULTS DECIDED TO TELL ME THAT I SHOULD PROBABLY FIND
A DIFFERENT CAREER PATH BECAUSE I WASN'T GONNA
ACCOMPLISH PLAYING IN THE NFL.
HOW DID I ACCOMPLISH IT? IT WAS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, TRULY.
I'VE ALWAYS ASKED GOD TO DO THINGS IN MY LIFE
THAT I KNOW I CANNOT TAKE CREDIT FOR
AND THAT I ONLY COULD BOAST IN HIS NAME.
AND HE HAS DONE JUST THAT.
PEOPLE COME UP TO ME QUITE OFTEN,
AND AS I TRY TO TELL THEM IT WAS GOD
THAT REALLY OPENED UP THE DOOR, THEY SAY,
"NO, RASHAD. YOU PUT IN THE WORK, YOU PUT IN THE EFFORT.
"IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU."
AND THOUGH I CAN ATTRIBUTE, YES, I WORKED HARD AND DILIGENTLY,
AND I TOOK A 180 AT ONE POINT IN MY LIFE,
I NEVER FALL SHORT TO REALIZE THAT GOD SAVED ME.
GOD SPARED MY LIFE IN MANY TIMES WHERE I SHOULDN'T BE HERE.
AND IT IS BECAUSE OF HIM I'M ABLE TO BOAST.
IN 1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 AND 31 IT SAYS,
"IT IS BECAUSE OF [GOD] THAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS,
"WHO HAS BECOME FOR US WISDOM FROM GOD,
"THAT IS, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS AND REDEMPTION.
"THEREFORE, AS IT IS WRITTEN:
'LET THE ONE WHO BOASTS BOAST IN THE LORD.'"
AND I DO JUST THAT BY BOASTING IN THE LORD,
BECAUSE IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM DYING ON THE CROSS,
GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BREATHE AIR,
AND SAVING ME IN MANY ACCOUNTS, I WOULDN'T BE HERE.
AND PLAYING IN THE NFL, AS YOU SEE THESE AMAZING ATHLETES
GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO TODAY,
THEY'RE CHASING THAT LOMBARDI TROPHY,
WHICH FOR EIGHT YEARS, I COUNT IT, I DID THE SAME.
AND IN DOING THAT, WE CHASED THE LOMBARDI TROPHY
SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU WANNA WIN! YOU WANNA WIN
SO YOU CAN SAY YOU ACCOMPLISHED AND CONQUERED ALL,
AND THEN TO ULTIMATLEY BRAG AND TALK TRASH TO... TO YOUR PEERS.
AND YOU ONLY GET THAT ONCE A YEAR.
AFTER THAT ACCOUNT, AFTER YOU WIN THE TROPHY,
NEXT YEAR, HOPEFULLY, YOU'VE GOT A GRUELING GRIND
TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN TO WIN THE TROPHY AND BRAG AGAIN.
IF YOU DON'T WIN, WHAT HAPPENS IS
THE BRAGGING RIGHTS GOES TO YOUR OPPONENT.
ONE THING WITH THE LORD THAT I NEVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT
IS MY BRAGGING RIGHTS WITH HIM,
BECAUSE I BOAST IN HIM, NOT IN MYSELF.
IN PSALM 34:2 IT SAYS THAT,
"MY SOUL WILL MAKE ITS BOAST IN THE LORD."
AND I TRY TO LIVE IN SUCH A WAY
THAT MY SOUL DOES BOAST IN THE LORD.
AND THE SOUL, FOR ME, IS BUILT UP OF MY WILL,
MY EMOTION, MY INTELLECT,
AND THAT IS ALL FOR JESUS CHRIST.
AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT AS LONG AS WE BRAG
IN WHO THE LORD IS, WE WILL REMAIN HUMBLE ENOUGH
TO BE USED IN A GREAT WAY
AND BECOME A TREMENDOUS BLESSING TO OTHERS.
SO TRUST IN THE LORD,
AND NEVER SURRENDER YOUR ULTIMATE BRAGGING RIGHTS.
BOAST ONLY IN HIM. HE ALWAYS WINS.
AND BECAUSE JESUS HAS GAINED THE ULTIMATE VICTORY
OF OUR SALVATION, WE WILL NEVER LOSE THE ULTIMATE PRIZE,
AND THAT IS TO LIVE ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD IN HEAVEN.
AND I PRAY THAT IF YOU HAVE NOT ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST
AS YOUR ULTIMATE BRAGGING RIGHT, AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR,
THAT YOU WILL OPEN YOUR EYES TODAY,
BECAUSE THE LOMBARDI TROPHY, THOUGH IT IS SPECIAL,
BY RIGHT, IT'S LIMITED.
JESUS CHRIST IS OMNIPOTENT.