The excitement is in the air and the signs are everywhere. People sporting their favorite team’s jersey, heightened chatter on the news, at work, and church. Neighbors spying out the most coveted “man cave,” not to mention those dreadful lines at the supermarket. The supply of hot dogs, chips, and dip vanishes as if we’re preparing for an alien invasion.
Although I am not a sports fan, I must admit that the taste of imminent victory is simply contagious. Why? Because victory, my friends, is what we were created for! Just as sports fans take great care to memorialize their team legends among the various Sports’ Halls of Fame, Christians treasure the Bible’s famous “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews chapter 11: an extensive list of God’s people, both men and women:
“Who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (vv. 33-34 ESV)
Created for Victory!
Humans were created for victory! As Superbowl Sunday fast approaches, the smell of victory feeds on this God-given desire. Its power rests in the fact of the certainty of one thing: someone is going to win! During the months, weeks, and hours leading up to the big game, fans of both teams are thoroughly convinced they are on the winning side. They bought the tee shirt and found a friend with a big-screen TV. Plus the loser has agreed to pay for the pizza, all because they genuinely believe victory is imminent.
Yet, until that defining moment, no one knows for sure. Even when all appears lost, the fans of the trailing team never give up hope. They’re praying for a miracle, often ‘til the very end. Victory: it’s what we were created for! And yet, many discover they put their faith in the wrong side every year.
The Defining Moment
One day, each of us will face another defining moment. One concerning the most decisive battle of all—the battle for our eternal soul. And in that moment, the moment we enter eternity, we will discover whether or not we are on the winning side. Yet unlike a football game, we do not know the day or the hour that moment will come. We have to choose now.
So how do you know which is the winning side? The answer is written on the banners waving among the fans at every football game as far back as anyone can remember, “John 3:16” which is God’s promise: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
And yet when we look back at Jesus’ final moments, all appeared lost as He hung dying on a Cross; many of His fans deserted Him, and they gave up hope – never expecting a miracle. But that’s precisely what happened. Jesus was raised from the dead, and in that moment, He defeated our final enemy, death itself: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death…Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15: 26, 54 ESV, selected)
Don’t wait until your defining moment to know the outcome of your eternity. You can choose today to embrace the winner: choose Jesus; choose victory! It’s what you were created for! “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57 ESV).
Whose side are you on?
Shadia is a passionate Bible teacher, author, and speaker who has a heart for seeing lives transformed by the power of God’s Word. She holds a master’s in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is the author of several books and Bible studies, including HAGAR, TAMAR, LEGION, Worthy of Love and her newest study, RAHAB: Rediscovering the God Who Saves Me!
