We love to make predictions.  At the end of every year people will predict a lot of things about the upcoming year.  I enjoy listening to sports talk programs where people are encouraged to predict who is going to win ballgames.  It is an interesting exercise, but nobody is really good at it.

Sports Illustrated (SI) has always been regarded as an expert in sports.  Check these predictions:

• On November 26, 1979, SI predicted, “The character of O.J. Simpson will endure.  It will be his legacy.”  Fifteen years later he was tried for the grisly murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
•  On March 11, 1985, they predicted that Gary Nicklaus would be “The next Nicklaus.”  He only made one PGA Tour top 10.
• April 19, 1999, they predicted Tim Couch, “The No. 1 pick will lead the Browns to greatness.”  The Browns went to no playoffs.
• On August 29, 2005, SI referred to Jeff Francoeur as “Georgia’s new peach.”  In nine seasons he made the All-Stars zero times.
• November 28, 2005, SI said that Jimmy Clausen was “A once-in-a-generation talent.”  He had one win in four years as an NFL quarterback.
• In 1967 SI predicted 12-foot college basketball rims.
• In 1986 SI wrote, “TV sports are in big trouble.”
• In 1993 SI predicted the demise of the NFL by saying “Can the NFL be saved?”
• In 1994 SI questioned, “Is tennis dying?”
• In the 2013 baseball preview SI picked the Washington Nationals to win the World Series – they didn’t even make the playoffs.  The team that did win it, the Boston Red Sox, was slotted for last place in the American League East.

How are these predictions turning out?

• In 1876 Western Union said, “The telephone concept has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.”
• In 1899 Charles Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
• In 1943 Thomas Watson, the President of IBM, said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
• In 1954 the Grand Ole Opry told Elvis Presley, “You ain’t going nowhere, son.  You ought to go back to driving a truck.”
• In 1962 Decca Recording Company rejected the Beatles saying, “We don’t like their sound and guitar music is on the way out.”
• In 1981 Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, said, “640K ought to be enough computer memory for anybody.”
• At the beginning of 2015, SEC Conference sports football writers picked Georgia to win the East and Auburn to win the West.

I will conclude by making a few predictions myself:

• I predict that no man will ever predict accurately the date of the end of the world. (Matthew 24, 25)  I do predict that today we are one day closer than we were yesterday!
• I predict that God’s group will ultimately win in the end.  I have read the last chapter of His book, and I know Who is going to win. (Revelation 22)
• I predict God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, and I predict that your life and my life will work out best when we follow His plan. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Only believe a prediction you know to be true – that’s from God’s Word