WHERE'S THE VICTORY?

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46; Titus1:1-16; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 26:13-16

“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
 All who found them devoured them. Their enemies said, ‘We did nothing wrong in attacking them, for they sinned against the Lord, their true place of rest, and the hope of their ancestors.’”

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”

“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
 Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name! Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power! The Lord has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation! He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in.
 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord. For the Lord is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.”

“The lazy person claims, ‘There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!’”

We tend to forget we are already winners. As a result, we spend a lot of unnecessary time trying to win battles we do not even need to fight. I know in my own life, victory is not the kind of thing I have the guts to claim very frequently. It seems too bold and conceited to go around without some kind of thorn or adversity keeping us humble. Support groups abound, joining entire tribes of the afflicted in distress. Anyone who has the gall to believe they are truly an overcomer is regarded with a mixture of cynicism and jealousy.

But y’know, if we are going to be different, the best way to accomplish that is to rise above circumstances. It’s no good to claim Christ matters if, in fact, our lives are not changed by His presence. And we are not going to change if we do not look beyond and live past our limitations and challenges.

I currently serve on a United Way committee charged with finding a way to get and keep underprivileged kids in school. It did not take long for us to discover that the key was parental involvement. The trick was in discovering how to get the parents involved. For the most part, these folks work two and three jobs each, have a number of kids to go along with severe economic challenges, and thought they were doing all they could just to get by. On top of that, most parents in the mainly Hispanic culture we are working with had no education and could not speak English. They were honestly intimidated by the children’s education and did not feel worthy of coming to the schools and getting involved in the program.

Little by little, that started to change. It began with home visits. United Way volunteers recruited a few bold parents and trained them on the program, giving them the skills they needed to recruit their neighbors. Those parents, in turn, began to walk their neighborhoods and do their own visits and recruiting. Parent rooms were set up on the campuses as a refuge for the kids where warm cookies, computers and other resources and a sympathetic ear were always available. Slowly, a bond began to form among those in the program, and they began to look out for each other and each others’ kids, not just in school, but in the neighborhoods. More parents found a way to get involved as the program proved its worth. And grades and standardized test scores both began to rise dramatically, as did the rate of graduations. Now, the parents are taking ownership, and a cultural swing is beginning. The expectation of the community has gone from one of intimidation and fear to one of anticipated involvement and success. There are, of course, bumps in the road, and the occasional parent who just doesn’t, or won’t, get it. But the transformation has been undeniable. The hurdles that have been overcome are signs of accomplishment and growth of which both parents and kids can be justifiably proud.

We may be beaten down and oppressed for a season. Things certainly won’t always go our way. However, there is never any reason for those who call Christ Savior to ever be defeated. Resurrection is reality. Sometimes, the only way to it is through the tomb. But the tomb is only the end if we decide for ourselves that it is the end. The Holy Spirit begs to differ.

Jesus is probably the only person who ever lived who could truly see beyond the grave to the potential of eternity, but His example is nevertheless clear. We are to look beyond our problems to the possibilities of what the Spirit can do in and through us. The fact is, most of us live well beneath our potential. We see the lions on the road and cower, instead of moving forward in faith and power to tame them. It’s time to get out our whips and chairs and deal with our fears, to bring them to bay. We need not be victims. We were created to be victors!