Thought for Today
Psalm 44:3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.
Ecclesiastes 3:6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.
Luke 9:24 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25 What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?
Not surprisingly, my Thoughts this morning have turned to winning and losing. Regrettably, last night’s NCAA basketball championship game lasted 2-3 minutes longer than I hoped. My alma mater led almost the entire game, except when it mattered most, at the end. Congratulations to the Florida Gators; hats off to the Houston Cougars. It was an exciting and entertaining game, it just lasted too long.
There is a television ad I frequently see, I believe it is for some brand or type of milk. Two men are sitting in chairs in a field, watching dairy cattle. One of the cows appears to kick a ball and one man asks the other, “Who’s winning?” The reply is, “We are, my friend.” In life, how do we know who is winning? And, what is the prize for winning?
I have mentioned before seeing a bumper sticker during my commutes on the highways in Houston. This particular bumper sticker was usually on the rear bumper of a jacked-up, fully decked out and detailed pickup truck. The bumper sticker read, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” Is that how winners in life are determined? Is our status as winner or loser calculated on the material wealth we leave behind? Is life a game of acquisition, measured by the accumulation remaining at our death?
Hint: that question, posed by a Christian minister, is totally rhetorical, requiring and only accepting a shouted “NO!!”
We live in a country seemingly obsessed with games and competitions. Almost anywhere one goes in our nation, you will hear that you are in a “sports town.” We have just finished March Madness. Yesterday, I read an article online about the beginning of football spring training. Baseball season is currently in full swing (excuse the pun).
It is not merely our own country. The entire world is engrossed in the quadrennial Olympic Games and the quadrennial soccer World Cup. National teams compete. Nations compete for the hosting privileges. Enormous sums of money are spent. Money that could in most cases be better spent to alleviate the suffering of countless lives. In life, how do we know who is winning? And, what is the prize for winning?
Hopefully, everyone reading this is familiar with "Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
I have no idea whether or not Jesus was a fan of any sport. I suspect the apostle Paul might have been, because he does sometimes use sporting metaphors. But, there is no doubt in my own mind of how Jesus would answer those questions about how we can know who is winning, about the prize for winning. I have read the Bible. I know the rules of the game of life, Jesus’ words about loving God and loving each other. I understand Jesus’ words in Matthew about the accumulation of material wealth, the toys to which that bumper sticker refers.
Maybe most importantly, I know Jesus’ words in John, “14:2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”
Who’s winning? We are, my friends, if we believe, if we play by Jesus’ rules and love God and each other. We will win that prize, granted in Eternity, of being in God’s house with Jesus.
Stay safe, run this race and win the crown, trust God,
Pastor Ray