KINGDOM VICTORY 2
“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.” (Proverbs 21:31)
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
“’O Death, where is your sting: O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
VICTORY!
The LA Rams play the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday in the final game of this NFL season: The Super Bowl. Both teams have been preparing specifically for this game for two weeks, and more generally they have been preparing the entire season for this day. No team on opening day have as their #1 goal to merely show up and play 17 games. They want to win. Victory. But, as it is in any team sport, the victory doesn’t belong to just one person. The quarterback can’t snap the ball to himself, pass it to himself and avoid 11 men on the other team as he runs to the end zone for a touchdown. He needs the help and support of not only the other 10 members on his offense, but his own defense, and all the coaches, assistant coaches and the rest of the team staff. That’s the world view.
As Christians, our Victory is assured at the moment of our salvation, the instant we answer God’s call to Himself. We die to ourselves in order to receive the gift of eternal life. That victory is through Jesus Christ. There is nothing we have or can do to earn it. No amount of planning or training will gain that victory. It is a gift from our Lord.
That doesn’t mean we will live on easy street. Scriptures tell us we will endure trails and tribulations, and temptations. But He will be with us through all those tests. He assures us that with those temptations will come a way to avoid falling to those temptations, an escape hatch to allow us to bear up under the pressures. It is up to us to activate that escape plan. We must be seeking Him, abiding in Him, so we can recognize and seize upon those ways God has laid for us to endure.
The winning team Sunday will have plenty of credit to pass around: the stellar performance of their quarterback, the awesome talents of their receivers, running backs, even their field goal kicker. There will be credit for the defense for preventing the other team from scoring more than they did. Some will credit the coaches for their motivation, preparation, play calling, etc. The losing team will have plenty of blame to dish out, starting invariably with the poor officiating (penalties unjustly called against them,) poor player performance, even if it was just one dropped or overthrown pass, one missed tackle, etc.
In the Kingdom, however, the Victory belongs to Jesus, and nobody else. We give Him all praise and glory. Thanks be to God. I for one am forever grateful that He has clothed me in Victory, something I didn’t deserve. Yes, we should live every minute of every day in complete surrender to Him, doing our best to follow His will for us as He covers us in that Victory.
We cannot, however, walk around in arrogance or be presumptuous. Our salvation assures us eternal life, but that doesn’t mean we can just step in front of a speeding train. Neither the Rams nor the Bengals will begin any celebration dance when the game starts. They must put the work in, playing out the game for 60 minutes (which takes 3 hours to play out.) As Christians, we can celebrate our Victory beginning the moment of our salvation. We do so by praising and worshiping and giving God all the credit, through leading a Christ-centered life. How will you walk out your Victory?
Be Blessed!