Winning

win |win|
verb ( winning ; past and past part. won |wən; wän|) [ trans. ]
1 be successful or victorious in (a contest or conflict) : the Mets have won four games in a row | [ intrans. ] a determination to win | [with complement ] the Pirates won 2–1.
2 acquire or secure as a result of a contest, conflict, bet, or other endeavor : there are hundreds of prizes to be won | [with two objs. ] the sort of play that won them the World Cup.
• gain (a person’s attention, support, or love), typically gradually or by effort : you will find it difficult to win back their attention.
• ( win someone over) gain the support or favor of someone by action or persuasion : her sense of humor had won him over at once.
• [ intrans. ] ( win out) manage to succeed or achieve something by effort : talent won out over bureaucracy.

The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, The UConn Huskies won the NCAA Basketball National Champions hip. Auburn won the National Championship in College Football. Today I will listen to announcers pontificate all day long about who will win the Masters. On TV last night I saw clips of a wild eyed Charlie Sheen proclaiming he was “Winning, Winning!”

Is any of this really winning? By the strict dictionary definition above, it is. So reading the definition carefully, should winning be our obsession? In a game or a contest, it probably should be, but what about our lives. Jesus prescription for our lives what very different than a sports analogy.

Christ taught us to put others before ourselves, to turn the other cheek, to forgive those that sinned against us, all pretty foreign concepts to “the world”. He said no greater sacrifice can be made than to lay down your life for your brother. Jesus said to not forget those in prison, or the widows, or the children. He said if someone asks for your coat, give him your shirt also. When asked by Peter if you should forgive seven times?, Jesus said, “No, seventy times seven.” Even after being beaten, and accused of crimes he did not commit, while hanging on the cross, he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” I know what you’re thinking, the same thing I was thinking as God gave me these words to write, “how could I ever do this???!!!” The answer is simple, I can’t. Only by the Grace of God and with His strength, could I ever even come close to any of these commands from Him. Here is the great joy of walking with Him, He never asks anything of you that “He” can’t do, through you……..

Winning is about you doing better than the the other guy, serving God is never about that, it’s about helping the other guy win………….

the pilgrim

P.S. Pray that I and my team will help everyone coming to this weeks workshop, “the winners.”