Victory in Jesus – Part Three
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15: 57, 58
It is Jesus who ”keeps on” us the victory. In the Greek that is present participle, meaning ours is a continual victory.
He is alive to meet us everyday. In this is found new power to stand firm amid the pressures of life — and they are many.
You need an awareness of His presence and power if you attempt to claim your victory daily in a world crowded with frustrating mean-spirited people who say cruel twisted things about people in an attempt to mask their own unhappiness. This even happens among Christians who hate Christians in the name of Jesus.
Christ did not give us the victory over the world in order that we might fight among ourselves.
He doesn’t give us blessings and advantages to use against each other, but for His cause.
Doing the work of the Lord does not give us permission to act like everybody else. In saving us He never gave us permission to breathe fire in a world of dragons.
As co-victors He would have us go into a world where most folks live with “their dukes up” with our arms outstretched in love.
The world might well call such a venturous spirit a failure, but the Bible calls such a one a victor. In the physical world potential winners have often been classified as losers.
In 1902, The Atlantic Monthly’s poetry editor returned a collection of poems to a 28-year-old would-be poet with a caustic note reading: “Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verses.” The name of the poet was Robert Frost.
In 1905, the University of Bern failed a PhD dissertation because it was considered fanciful and irrelevant. The young candidate for his PhD was Albert Einstein.
In 1894, the rhetorical teacher at Harrow in England wrote on a 16-year-old’s grade card: “A conspicuous lack of success.” That student was the young Winston Churchill.
As these persons overcame physical losses, so you can daily overcome would-be spiritual defeats through Jesus.
Amid adversity remember “… in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” Romans 8:37.