Use your NIL rights

Recently, I overheard my husband and son discussing the recent developments with the NCAA’s decision with regards to college athletes and the opportunities available to them to make money by selling their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. Because the topic is rather controversial, I’ve found it to be quite intriguing to listen to tv sports analysts pontificate on the subject.

My opinion on the matter holds absolutely no weight whatsoever, so it was easy for my thoughts to wander beyond sports and just marinate on the very idea of the importance and value of one’s NAME, IMAGE and LIKENESS!!

And not just in sports, these three things, in varying degrees, impact our perception, our interaction, and our responsiveness to one another. 

Just hearing a particular name or even seeing representation of a specific individual attached to something can be enough for us to form an opinion on a matter.

As for sports, simply put, depending on how well that athlete has performed (or is projected to perform), their NIL rights can prove to be quite lucrative. Wondering where I’m going with this????

Well all the talk about NIL rights made me think about God’s name, image and likeness! How thankful, grateful, and appreciative we should be to know that we serve a God that doesn’t charge for the use of His name but guarantees powerful results: 

 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10)

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the mention of the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:9-11)

And what an honor and blessing it is to read that:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

He’s given us the use of His name and He created us in the image and likeness of His desire to be rulers over all!!!! 

I guess NIL rights aren’t just reserved for athletes and entertainers after all!