February 28, 2005
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
-Romans 8:37
In 2001, I had the opportunity to speak at the chapel service for the Boston Marathon. It was an incredible experience to stand on the steps of a little church right at the starting line and proclaim the Gospel. And then to watch theses incredible runners just take off and run a complete 26.2 miles.
We drove the distance and I got tired just during the drive. All kinds of men and women of all ages were present. At the conclusion, the man who won, from Korea, ran the 26.2 miles in two hours and nine minutes—that’s about four and a half minutes per mile!
These were incredible athletes. Others were struggling and stumbling at the finish line. There was even a man about 500 yards from the finish line who cramped up and fell making it almost impossible to move, but he crawled to the finish line.
God has called us not just to crawl to the finish line, though I commend that particular man for his heart and courage, but He has called us to be champions. You don’t have to be an athlete to recognize the brand name Nike. Nike is from the Greek Goddess of Victory. This remarkable marketing ploy has challenged all of us to “just do it!”
The Greek word for “nike” means to “overcome.” Imagine if we could just somehow overcome the obstacles of life and meet the challenges just by putting on a pair of athletic shoes. There is a way to conquer and that way is the way of Christ.
As Christians, we are to be more than conquerors through Him who loved us. I want to challenge you in these days not only to survive, but also to thrive and to triumph in life as we move forward from victory unto victory.
WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUEROR’S—WE ARE
CHAMPIONS—THROUGH JESUS CHRIST WHO FIRST LOVED US.