Good summer morning to you! Have you ever prayed over a sporting event? I'm sure that some of you have, perhaps for a child or a relative, but in some way you have prayed that one team or another win. I must admit that I did last night. Game 2 of the finals was played last night and one team was in real trouble. This team was unranked and had made it all the way to the finals to lose Game 1. I simply didn't want that group of young men to go home after two bad performances, and asked God to give them a dose of energy. Oh my what an answer! If you watched last night, you saw a team down 5-0 in the first inning come back with an offensive performance of some note. Eventually Fresno State won 19-10; I went to bed when they were ahead 15-6. I have nothing against the Univ of Georgia and hope the better team wins tonight. However, I know what it is like to be on a losing team, and I imagine that you do as well. Losing badly in a contest can be very depressing. I once played ball on a team that went 0-18 for the season, not a very fun summer for us. That summer may have "built character" in me, but I wouldn't recommend a child be put through that too often.
How does that relate to our Christian life? We seem to be losing in the world. Many countries want a return to a strong dictator or king, someone to set things right. Others don't know what they want in a leader. It has been years since we saw a clear favorite in our presidential elections. Christian leaders come and go, but the world doesn't seem to change much. How are we to keep our hopes alive in these dark times? One way was spoken by Pastor Rogers before his death in the wonderful Triumph of the Lamb series. He said the times were getting "gloriously dark", as in the darkness before the dawn when the Antichrist arises, but just before the triumph of Jesus over evil for all time. Our champion was not defeated by death and the grave, and He will not be defeated by the forces of this world. You or I may not have won very many contests as children. However, in Christ our race is not against each other and there are no losers among those who believe in Jesus. Run this race in faith and joy, placing your hope in Christ Jesus!
What a wonderful savior we have in Jesus!
Bucky
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