Monday Morning Devotion-October 22, 2018
The Champions
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world
In 1977, the British Rock Band, Queen, recorded the song "We Are the
Champions." It has become an anthem for sporting events around the world and is still
popular over 40 years later. After a team has won a game, no matter what sport they are playing, it is highly likely that "We Are the Champions" will come booming over the loud speakers.
On the same album Queen recorded another lasting sporting event type of song called: "We Will Rock You." While the "rock you" song fits in well at football games it isn't appropriate for this devotion. However, the song about Champions fits here very well.
Why is that? Because we all want to be champions.
To be a champion you have to win at whatever task you are undertaking. Doesn't have to be athletics. We all want to be successful in life, i.e. we want to be champions.
What is a champion, really? Well, I looked it up in my Synonym Finder and here is what I found: champion, n. 1. Winner, victor, leader, shoo-in, conqueror, vanquisher, subjugator, subduer, avenger, vindicator, hero, paladin, knight.
But that's not all. 2. Defender, protector, guardian, friend in deed; helper, aider, abettor, protagonist, friend at court; supporter, upholder, maintainer, sustainer, advocate, backer, patron.
Still not all: 3. Fighter, warrior, brave man-of-arms, campaigner, veteran, old soldier.
Wow, wouldn't you like to be considered or looked at as any of those synonyms for being a champion?
Well, that's good because if you were looked upon as a champion that means you would: v. 4. Defend, protect, guard; help, aid, assist speak for, fight for, stand up for; advocate, maintain, sustain, uphold, support, back, second; avenge, vindicate.
All right already! We got the message! To be a champion is to be something special.
So how can we become a champion? Seems like a monumental task to me. Basically, we just need to follow our role model---Jesus Christ.
You see what often stands in the way of our being a champion or championing a cause is a bunch of problems. Seems as if we are constantly battling problems in life. Just when we get one difficult task defeated more crop up.
Here's what Sarah Young (Always Jesus) says: "He is the champion who perfects our faith. The more problem-filled your life becomes the more important it is to keep your eyes on Him. If you gaze too long at your problems or at troubles in this world you will become discouraged. Break free by looking to Him."
Then, in another devotion Young makes this point: "Trust in His unfailing love---thanking Him for the good you do not see. When evil seems to be flourishing and it can look as if things are spinning out of control, rest assured that He is not wringing His hands wondering what to do next. He is still in control."
Now that's the kind of Champion we have in our life. He is the one that molds us into champions because behind the scenes there is His goodness in the midst of turmoil.
Sometimes we let our woes distract us from the Champion we have working for us in our life. A song that is found in the Methodist Hymnal that has always meant a lot to me is "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" written in 1922 by Helen H. Lemuel. One verse in particular is meaningful:
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace."
The NIV Bible says in today's scripture about powers trying to separate us from our Champion; "Powers are unseen forces of evil in the universe, forces like Satan and his fallen angels. In Christ we are super-conquerors and His love will protect us from any such forces."
Bev Herring writing in the Christian Blog : www.HaroldHerring.com describes the characteristics of a champion. She points out that we usually think of champions in terms of sports especially those in which a National Championship is the goal.
"It's not easy to become a champion. It takes determination …practice …exercise … discipline and commitment to never give in, back down, sit down, quit or walk away until victory is achieved."
She writes that God has given each of us the heart of a champion far beyond the field of athletic endeavor. We refer to Jesus as a conqueror, yet we never call Him a champion. But, to be a conqueror we must first become champions in areas of our lives where we have been given a vision, a goal, a dream or a calling. We must prevail.
To become a champion, you must be committed to rising above average. Because "God doesn't do Average." A person who is average is as close to the bottom as they are to the top.
To be a true champion you must have the heart of a champion. This is what God wants for his champions. When you follow the teachings of Jesus and troubles crop up if you have the heart of a champion you will prevail.
Here's the thing to remember. As believers we are on "God's Squad" and Jesus is our leader. Just like when a team wins a national championship they are referred to as the Champions. That means each player on the team can call him or herself a Champion.
As followers of Jesus we keep the faith and become champions.
Prayer: Lord help us to become champions in all that we do in order that we may grow the Kingdom in the way you have taught us. Amen!