Our Championship Season

I think I can honestly say, I enjoy winning.  I have played many sports over the years and although I was never a part of a team that won any championships of note, the thrill of victory no matter how small, was always a highlight.

Does your heart thrill or is it stirred when you watch the Olympics? Or how about a great singer? Maybe there is another activity or pursuit that when you see someone excel at it, whatever they are doing, it does something to you?  At times it has become an emotional experience for me because I guess I identify with the individual(s) and share in their victory or accomplishment.  Can you relate?

Defeat is never fun and after having lived several years on this planet, I can testify to that.  When we compare ourselves to those with notable accomplishments, we could and do at times, find ourselves overwhelmed with guilt, condemnation, and feelings of unworthiness. But wait!! There is good news!  I am reminded of this!

Romans 5:17 King James Version

¹⁷ For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Does this sound like winning to you?  It certainly does to me too!

So, whether we are in the first quarter of our journey or in the final quarter, the outlook is very, very bright! We can learn from the mistakes or defeats we have encountered and not allow those “events” to define us or anyone.  There is always hope.

Jesus was and is the greatest champion of all time.  His victory for us paid the bill for debt of sin-past, present, and future, and he was the greatest example of a man who endured to the end, even when the devil thought he had defeated him.

The victory cry was not an accolade of some human recognition, it was the spiritual victory cry of “HE IS RISEN.” Jesus overcame all the obstacles that defeat mankind and won the victory for us!!

1 Corinthians 15:57 King James Version

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:35-37 King James Version

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:35-37 New Living Translation

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^[a]) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

So, the Bible says we are victors and we are, right?

But what about us being able to LIVE victoriously, so that we cannot only have the attitude of a champion in life’s battles, but also to experience living from a place of victory.

“The best skill we can develop, which I think is true for everyone, is to learn to “manage” situations. This means we adapt, adjust, regroup, and recommit. It is often said that when you try to control something by holding on too tight, it squeezes out through your fingers. Life is fluid and moving ahead is the only way to go. Too many people allow their lives to be stagnant while they worry about problems, complain about defeats, or just feel sorry for themselves.  These can’t be the roadblocks that keep us from our destination. Moving and growing is the only way to see things through and that should be our continual process in life until we finally close our eyes for the last time.”  Duke Clarke Facebook Blog

Philippians 3:13-14 King James Version

¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

This is our time, our championship season, the race of a lifetime.  Let’s continue on as faithfully as we can, knowing that God is THE FAITHFUL ONE and that Jesus achieved the victory. Every day we face opportunities and challenges that are attempting to overcome us but as it says in Ephesians 6, we must take our rightful place as sons and daughters of God and do one thing. STAND!!

“You show me someone who has no inspiration, and I’ll show you someone as good as dead. Show me someone with no challenges, no goals, no great aspirations, and I’ll show you someone who won’t do anything in life. You’ve got to be inspired. Let some great thing pull you up. In living let some great goal, some great ideal, a great coach, some lovely wife, a husband, some sweetheart or friend, a teacher, a minister, let Almighty God inspire you and lift you up to catch a vision of what you can be. You know, one reason why I think a great deal of Jesus is because, for one thing, he never pointed out the weaknesses of people, never dwelt on their failures and their shortcomings. He always thought of the dream that God had for their lives. Never emphasizing their failures, he simply said, “Go and sin no more. Be what God intends you to be.” Lifting people up to catch a vision of what they could be, He changed human life. That’s why I think he’s the greatest inspiration that has ever hit the human race. Inspiration is vital to greatness in living.” -Bob Richards

_{Bob Richards, The Heart of a Champion: Inspiring True Stories of Challenge and Triumph,}

Ephesians 6:10-18 J.B. Phillips New Testament

^10-18 In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armor so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore, you must wear the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.

With God’s Word as our firm rock and foundation and Jesus Christ as our example and role model may we all be inspired to live victoriously beyond our own abilities and strengths, thereby allowing the spirit to be energized so we are empowered to help, instruct, and serve others in love.

2 Corinthians 2:14 King James Version and (Amplified)

¹⁴ Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth (who always leads) us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (or through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him.)

“The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.”-Jim McKay