Winners

The Los Angeles Lakers have won the NBA championship again.

So what, you may be saying. It’s not like the Celtics REALLY had a chance now…come on! Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and company fought their way to another title by stepping up and shutting down Boston’s guts and glory big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Lakers are NBA champions again!

Some reflection on this amazing victory might be appropriate right now but…well…I’m in the mood to reflect on winning. What does it mean to be a winner. Now, I know you will probably want to stop reading this about now but take a moment and bear with me.

Most folks view winning as simply the opposite of losing. True enough, but for us Christian folk winning is much more enticing. Winning for those who live for Christ means that we are not striving for ourselves. Winning means that we will commit ourselves to honoring the mission of Jesus in this life by giving our lives away for others.  Say WHAT??

That doesn’t sound like winning to a lot of people simply because it doesn’t place the emphasis on me and what I’ve done. Instead, it actually means putting my desires in the back seat and placing the call of Christ in the most prominent position. I must actually die to my desires and plans and take on HIS desire and plans for my life. Therefore, it is no longer I who live…but CHRIST!

A lot of sincere people who attend church do ministry and love God struggle with this issue. Everything we hear teaches us that it’s alright to pursue a chosen career path and still include Christ and church and all that stuff and, quite frankly, I have lived that way all my life.  But, how many of us have taken the time to actually pursue Christ before we choose and pursue a career? Take a moment and think about it. Have we really put Christ in the driver’s seat or have we simply allowed him along for the ride. I pray that Janice and I will be able to lead Brianna & Ethan in that direction. Please pray for us.

“For I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live. Not I but Christ who lives within me.” I love that song by Philips, Craig and Dean.  Might be a good idea to download that one today and meditate on it for a while. Simply put, to win…to REALLY win is to lose our lives and commit to following Him. That’s what makes us all WINNERS. You see, life is too short to struggle with the decision to lose our lives and allow Jesus to live HIS life through us. Even at my age I’m ready to lose my life today in order to live my remaining years for Him.

So come on and let’s play to win…today!

Jack