Faces on Faith: Victory!
For those who deal with challenges and obstacles on a daily basis, it’s important for us to know that overcoming them is a real possibility. No one wants to go through life beating their head against the proverbial wall when it comes to circumstances that are insurmountable. Just the hope of occasionally coming out on top is enough to sustain us and to motivate us to put one foot in front of the other.
Christians live in a hope that goes beyond possibility to certainty. The good news of Easter is that because God raised Christ from the dead, “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). In other words, no power exists that can circumvent the power and the purpose of the risen Christ. When we trust ourselves to that power, God promises we can know victory in the face of all the trials that come our way each day. We can abound in the work of the Lord “forasmuch as we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
I find it unfortunate that too many of us Christians see the Easter promise as only a single day on the calendar. Easter is in reality an ongoing experience. Every day should be marked by the presence of the risen Jesus and the power of his resurrection he invites us to enjoy. If at any point in the day discouragement sets in, it’s only because we have not fully yielded to Easter’s assurance.
Because I am a sports enthusiast, April is a month that holds all kinds of promise. March Madness gives way to an April champion. The Masters golf tournament separates the contenders from the pretenders. Major league baseball cranks up and every team’s fanbase has its dreams of a pennant. Victories are being won all around us and there is no end to the celebrations of those who will be enjoying their spoils.
Just remember that you have something to celebrate as well, the most important victory of all. Don’t let this time pass without tapping into the power that makes life worth living and promises everlasting joy.
“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56)
The Rev. Dr. Doug Dortch is the pastor at the Captiva Chapel by the Sea.