S90P2 – That which love seeks: victory
Rom. 8:37-39
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I started out as a pretty big fan of his when he began making his mark in the game. His style of play was fluid and effortless, and the disruption he caused at the top of the sport was much needed drama for that period. Things were getting stale, and the same guys were winning the big titles all the time, so it was refreshing to see someone new shake things up a bit. After some time, however, he became one of the top players. He started winning everything all the time, and that then became a little bit boring for me. I no longer wanted him to win but rooted regularly for the underdog to score the upset against him. But no matter how many titles he won, his family and friends, those who loved him, always wanted him to win.
What we see and seem to experience in this world often can be at odds with what we know to be true. One fundamental truth which should encourage us at all times is that we have a Father in heaven who is constantly rooting for us. He wants us to win always. The winning here, however, is not about physical competition or popularity contests. He wants us to have the spiritual win. This means that He desires good things to come to us. Sometimes the win is painful. Sometimes the win does not appear to be a win at all. The truth is that God works all things for the good of those who love him and are called by him. To work things out for our good means that He sets us up for victory over evil.
The lesson we must learn from every move of God’s love toward us is that we should have the same intent when loving others. This victory God desires for us is a victory we should desire for everyone else. When we see people losing spiritually it should prompt us to root for their victory. God wants evil to be defeated in our lives, so we should want evil to be defeated in theirs. Let us be spiritual cheerleaders who can support those who need a push to victory or even just need to know that victory is an option. Father, thank You for a love that works toward our spiritual victory, and help us to love others the same way.