Good Monday morning! In the battle of life, I lost. This is not a reference to a circumstance, but a surrender of my free will. In my former life, I wanted to grow up to be a powerful wolf: predatory, strong, fast, and in charge of my life. Jesus came looking for a sheep: weak, witless, lost, and in need of guidance. Jesus could see His sheep, but the sheep was busy pretending to be all those things wolfish. The 'wolf' had to lose a few battles in this life before he realized the a sheep was his rebirth and the sheep belonged to the Shepherd. Without that rebirth in Christ, I might have grown up like many: predatory, self-serving, seeking only my own way, and walking boldly down the road to eternal destruction.
That carnal wolf is not entirely gone from my life, of course. He still fights with me each and every day. It is like the life in this world; Jesus has overcome the world, but it still appears lost. The victory of Christ was won on the cross, but the Devil still performs his evil work. We endure in that long period between the guilty verdict and the sentencing of the criminal to his banishment. Sin, the Accuser, and the carnal wolf-man are not yet banished and so we suffer much. Yet, Jesus is the victor; faith assures us of this.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen." So the writer of Hebrews reminded us many years ago in verse 11:1. Progress in faith may at times be difficult to see, but it is there in us. One day, the complete victory of Christ over His enemies will grant us the victory too. Keep on believin', Jesus is coming again!
Bucky
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