Yesterday, every football team I was rooting for lost. There was not a single positive outcome for the Broncos, Seahawks, or Green Bay Packers! The older you get, the more you realize that sports are fun to watch, but you shouldn’t rely on them for your self-esteem. When I was a kid, if the Broncos lost, it would put me in a sour mood for the rest of the day. And if it were a drubbing like yesterday’s loss 41-10, I would be upset for a few days. While I know this is ridiculous, their success has nothing to do with me. However, I identify with them and feel the agony of defeat when they lose.
Although the stakes are higher, some will feel the same way when election results are announced. The agony of defeat. We know that our nation is deeply divided on many issues; roughly half of our population will feel some distress from an election that did not go their way. Our state of Washington plans to deploy National Guard troops in case of election violence based on unfavorable results. We all want to win; losing is painful, yet there can be no ties.
On Wednesday nights, we have been covering John’s first epistle. A few themes are presented throughout his short letter. He speaks of fellowship or koinonia as he demonstrates the unity of Christ’s church. Another overarching theme is that those who belong to Christ are already “Overcomers.”
1 John 2:14 – “I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”
1 John 4:4 – Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 John 5:3-5 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
These verses highlight that the victory is past tense. We are already overcomers. Jesus said as much in his final discourse with his disciples. As he says, this doesn’t mean you won’t have struggles, but those struggles do not remove your victory.
John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
As believers, we are already victorious. We do not have to wait for any further data. We do not have to be glued to a screen for the results. Jesus completed everything required for us to win. All we need is Jesus. This victory in Christ is our empowerment, our confidence that we can always rely on.
We do not have to worry about a day when we will feel the agony of defeat. We can presently rejoice that we have already won. This should change our outlook; we can relax and trust that Jesus has taken care of all of our concerns. There is not a single thing that can spoil this victory. There are no dropped passes, overtime period, faulty ballots, or possibility of defeat. By placing our faith in Jesus, we are Unable to Lose.