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Faithful to His Victory
The Task-Filled Life Bible Study β Week 4, Day 5
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).
When young men and women play basketball for their college each hopes for victory. At the Olympics, competitors and teams alike train and play hard in the hope of winning the victory gold. When two rivals compete in a wrestling match β physical or mental, each hopes to be victorious. Victory is the prize that makes every day of training and each physical endurance test worth the struggle. Seeking the victory β and winning β makes it all worth the effort.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul reminds us that when we run our races in a competition, only one receives the victory. No matter how hard the struggle or how dedicated we are to winning, there can only be one winner. All the others will be disappointed and decide whether to strive again to win a perishable prize. They will have to determine whether the effort is worth the result.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
Winning is admirable and teaches wonderful disciplines. Yet there is a prize for which all can win eternally and for which we never have to compete. It is a victory that Jesus has already won for us. It is not something we seek to win on our own merit. Whatever our seeming competition in life, this victory is Christβs to give and He gives it freely. The rewards are not a gold medal or a special banner. Rather it is the crown of life that remains ours into eternity. Through this victory won on the cross, we are made alive with Christ, raised up with Him, and seated with Him in the heavenly places. That is His victory and He is our reward.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ β by grace you have been saved β and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness in granting me Your victory. May I cherish that victory now and into eternity. Amen.
