12 Nov The Life of a Victor
The character of Christ as a victor, which supported his ministry, was the vision from which he lived – that of glorifying God by serving others. His vision was fulfilled in other people – not in things. He lived each moment with people to open up the possibility of a greater life. He challenged those around him to change their lives – a repentance of loving self to loving others – from being a victim to a victor.
Goal:
Transformation from loving self first to loving God and others first. Provoke the “victim” in each of us to yield to a vision bigger than ourselves.
The end of every Christian is not just to KNOW he or she is saved and redeemed; but to LIVE a life that is saved and redeemed.
One of the more subtle ploys of the enemy (or our willfully deluded selves) is to get us so caught in introspection and dealing with the self that we forget others. We miss the opportunity to love. In asking us to take up our cross, could Jesus really be asking us to choose the suffering of shame, rejection and humiliation?
Jesus did feel shame, rejection and humiliation but the relationship to those feelings was one of thinking little of them. He chose to disregard them. He refused to be a victim to his feelings – they were not an excuse for breaking his word. The cross that Jesus asks us to bear involves considering others as more important than ourselves (Mark 8:35).
God’s concerns are always the stance of the heart: how we relate to Him, to others, to the circumstances, and to ourselves when the chips are down.
Sanctification – ongoing process of being continually transformed into the image of Christ; involves killing the victim.
Also in this series:
No Comments