Daily Thought: The Side of Victory

No, the believer who knows what Christ is as the Risen One, approaches death, the crucifixion of self and the flesh and the world, from the resurrection side, the place of victory, in the power of the Living Christ. When we were baptized into Christ, we were baptized into His death and resurrection as ours; and Christ Himself, the Risen Living Lord, leads us triumphantly into the experience of the power of His death.

Murray, Andrew (2009-10-04). Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy (p. 119). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: Christianity for Everyday

If I wanted to find out whether a Man was a Christian, I wouldn’t go to his minister. I would go and ask his wife. I tell you, we want more home piety just now. If a man doesn’t treat his wife right, I don’t want to hear him talk about Christianity. What is the use of his talking about salvation for the next life, if he has no salvation for this? We want a Christianity that goes into our homes and everyday lives. Some men’s religion just repels me. They put on a whining voice and a sort of a religious tone, and talk so sanctimoniously on Sunday that you would think they were wonderful saints. But on Monday they are quite different. They put their religion away with their clothes, and you don’t see any more of it until the next Sunday. You laugh, but let us look out that we don’t belong to that class. My friend, we have got to have a higher type of Christianity, or the Church is gone. It is wrong for a man or woman to profess what they don’t possess. If you are not overcoming temptations, the world is overcoming you. Just get on your knees and ask God to help you. My dear friends, let us go to God and ask Him to search us. Let us ask Him to wake us up, and let us not think that just because we are church members we are all right. We are all wrong if we are not getting victory over sin.

D. L. Moody (2011-03-24). The Overcoming Life and Other Sermons (Kindle Locations 112-121). Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: We Have to Work with God

I wouldn’t think of talking to unconverted men about overcoming the world, for it is utterly impossible. They might as well try to cut down the American forest with their penknives. But a good many Christian people make this mistake: they think the battle is already fought and won. They have an idea that all they have to do is to put the oars down in the bottom of the boat, and the current will drift them into the ocean of God’s eternal love. But we have to cross the current. We have to learn how to watch and fight, and how to overcome. The battle is only just commenced. The Christian life is a conflict and a warfare, and the quicker we find it out the better. There is not a blessing in this world that God has not linked Himself to. All the great and higher blessings God associates with Himself. When God and man work together, then it is that there is going to be victory. We are coworkers with Him. You might take a mill, and put it forty feet above a river, and there isn’t capital enough in the States to make that river turn the mill; but get it down about forty feet, and away it works. We want to keep in mind that if we are going to overcome the world, we have got to work with God. It is His power that makes all the means of grace effectual.

Moody, Dwight Lyman (2011-03-24). The Overcoming Life and Other Sermons (Kindle Locations 35-44). Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: Prayer is the Means of Victory

Prayer is the energy and life of the soul. It is the invincible armor which shields the devoted Christian from the poisoned missiles shot forth from the batteries of hell. It is the mighty weapon with which he fights life's battles unto victory. He who lives in prayer reigns triumphant. The dark storm-clouds are driven away, mountains of discouragement are cast into the sea, chasms of difficulties are bridged, hope is given wings, faith increases, and joys abound. Hell may rage and threaten; but he who is frequent and fervent in prayer experiences no alarm.

Orr, Charles Ebert (2004-11-01). How to Live a Holy Life (p. 49). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: The Victory Is Secured

"Only by the power of God, working in heart and mind, can we subdue the slumbering tyrant within.  Only by the Holy Spirit's prevailing strength can we restrain the evil desires seeking to spring forth.  Within each person, a battle rages; only through God is victory secured." ~ George MacDonald, The Best of George MacDonald, p. 144

Run to Win

One of the things that I regret in my life is that I didn't play high school football. Many of you know that I love football, it has become one of the passions in my life. Given the choice today I would watch a football game over a basketball game. To me football is the manliest game played.

The reason I didn't play football in high school is because I ran cross country. Entering high school as a freshman it is what I was expected to do. My eighth grade year I had won all but one of the mile races that I ran, and so when our school decided to add cross country there was an expectation that is what I would do.

I didn't mind cross country my freshman year, mainly because my coach that year was very good and he expected a lot out of me. My fastest times in cross country came my freshman year. The following years I had a couple of different coaches who didn't push me as hard as Coach Clayberg had done my freshman year. I began to hate cross country. During the meets my goal was to finish, I wasn't out to win. As a result my cross country career is not very distinguished.

My track career in high school is a different story. I loved track, and even though my coaches didn't always push us, I would do extra running after practice. As a result I was able to run at the Iowa State Track meet. The difference was in my attitude. While during cross country I was just putting in my time, during track I was seeking to be successful, I was running to win.

I believe we have the same problem in our lives that I had with cross country. We have become satisfied with just getting by, looking to finish, rather than living to win. We try to let our Christianity show as little as possible rather than living sold out lives to Jesus.

Jesus does not want us to live lives that are just enough to get by. He is not interested in us living like the world as much as we can and blending in with the people around us. It is Jesus' desire that we stand out, living lives that are radically different than the people that we know. He wants us to be winners, rather than to be satisfied with finishing.

When I talk about living our lives to win I don't mean that we have to be perfect or even the best. If that was the case than we all would be in trouble. None of us can be the best at everything, and none of us will be perfect at everything we do.

To live to win simply means to give our best. This is what God wants from us. If all we ever do is just enough to get by then we will miss out on all that God has for us. If all we ever do is just what we are comfortable with, then we will not know what it is like to live out our potential.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to remind them to give their best. This is found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27;

Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (NLT)

We are to run to win. We are to give our best effort. Paul gives us two disciplines we need in order to give our best effort. First we need to have purpose. Paul says that he runs to the goal with purpose. We need a direction to go in and reason for going there. God gives us this purpose, to have a relationship with Him. When we give our best, we experience God like we have never experienced Him before.

The second discipline is that we need to train. An athlete trains to prepare his/her body for the challenge of competition. In the same way we need to train our bodies to prepare them for the struggles and trials we will face. To live as a Christian is not easy, so we need to be prepared to defend our beliefs, to say no to temptation, and to stand tall when bad times come.

Run to win is what God wants us to do. An athlete seeking victory will give his/her best effort. They will have purpose in the playing and training to prepare them. If we are going to live according to God's standard we need to give our best effort, having a purpose in our lives and training to prepares us for what lies ahead. Let's quit being satisfied with just finishing, let us live to win. Let us run for Jesus.

Sunday Quote: The Victory is Won

"Scripture clearly teaches this perspective: Christ has already won the victory (1 Cor. 15:1ff.; Col. 2:15; and Heb. 2:14ff.). The crucial battle has been fought and won in the incarnation and the resurrection. The ceasefire is yet in the future. Jesus' followers continue to fight against the principalities and powers (Eph. 6:10ff.) until he comes again to bring about the final end of the war. We do not know how long the warfare will continue. As we battle the forces of evil, we also witness in the shadow of Christ's victory on the cross and his ultimate victory to be achieved at the final coming. We fight with the conviction that someday all weapons will be placed at the feet of Jesus. This concept should encourage all believers. It can also exhort all to be be faithful to Jesus and his cause." ~ Robert Lowery; Revelation's Rhapsody: Listening to the Lyrics of the Lamb; p. 43