Loser can be winners
What are you talking about? How can a loser be a winner? Nobody looks at a loser as a winner.
Don’t you know that “Winning is for winners, and losing is for losers.” “No one remembers the losers, only the winners.” “No one wants to be known as a loser.”
Winning here on Earth
Vince Lombardi, the NFL coaching great of the Green Bay packers, is admired by many for his football coaching records as well his quotes on winning, such as: “If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?” “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
We buy into that wining belief, since winning is a good feeling to have. Winning is as American as apple pie. People follow and admire those they perceive as winners – those who are number one in their field, who make the most money, who own the most property and businesses, who own the most stock, have the most wins and trophies, etc.
Fans follow winners, taking in everything they say and do. This allows them to imitate them, in their dress, talk, and actions, thinking that in doing so they become associated with their heroes lives. When their hero wins, it makes them feel like they win also.
But even in this, people can be disappointed, since all winners do not win all the time as they have lost somewhere along the way to the top.
Winning in Heaven
In Heaven there are no record books for most points scored, or most games won, or most money accumulated, or the most land that you owned when you died. All the sports and financial record books made on Earth do not pass into eternity, as they have no value there. Your efforts toward these ends become useless, as waste of time and effort, as they are flushed down the toilet of life when you die.
Winning at what you work hard at may get you worldly recognition, but that is good only while you are here on earth. While what you do for the Kingdom of God with the resources you were given here on Earth may not get you recognition here, it is the only thing which will be recorded in Heaven.
Different value systems
God has a different value system than the world does, where the more we lose of this world the more we win in Heaven. The more we lose of this temporary world’s system, which we have gained while travelling through it, the more we gain in the eternal realm of Heaven.
If you were travelling from the west coast to the east coast, and you stop somewhere in- between to stay the night, you wouldn’t buy a piece of property or invest a lot of time and effort and resources there, since the next day you will be on your way to your final destination of the east coast.
Earth is just a stopover for humanity, a short stay on their way to a destination in eternity. Even if we accumulate the most valuable materials on Earth, such as the gold, and jewels, and they could be transferred to Heaven, they would have a different value there as they would be used as pavement, gates, and wall building materials there.
Losers in this world system make you a winner in God’s system
Giving away what we gain while on Earth is where the real value is. We could easily see this truth in what Jesus shared with the rich young ruler, found in Mark 10:17-22. This young ruler left disappointed from the presence of Jesus when Jesus told him the way to inherit eternal life was to give all his wealth away so that he would have treasure in Heaven.
Up to this point, the young ruler had lived an exemplary good life, obeying the laws of God, and was blessed with wealth. But his heart was focused on what he possessed now, in this temporary life, not what he would possess permanently in the future in Heaven. His trust was misplaced, and Jesus was trying to get him to see that when he gave his wealth away that it would be transferred and stored in Heaven, waiting for him when he got there.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus was trying to change his perspective on where his value system should be. The worldly, carnal system says “keep as much as you can for yourself.” The Kingdom of God system says give away as much of this world’s possessions as you can.
Something to remember
We have to remember something about our life here on Earth: as a child of God, we are citizens of Heaven, and we are just traveling through this Earth on our way to a permanent destiny in Heaven. So there is no need to accumulate anything of this world since we can’t take it with us, whether it be material gain, recognition, or rewards for our worldly efforts here.
Ambassadors for our nation know that their assignment to a certain nation is just temporary, so they do not settle down and take root in that nation. Their citizenship and roots are in the USA. So, as ambassadors for Christ, we should not be caught up in owning things of this world, except as necessary provision for life, because our citizenship and real family roots are in Heaven.
Temporary efforts of this life don’t compare to knowing Christ
The apostle Paul learned that when you are in Christ, the things done in the past have no value compared to knowing Christ. II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away (old things being no only the sinful life, but earthly accomplishments); behold, all things have become new.”
Philippians 3:7-11, “But what things were gain to me (the earthly accomplishments he mentions in verses 4b-6), these I count loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ,…” Paul’s eyes of his understanding were opened to the real treasure of life, Jesus Christ (like the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price – Matthew 13:44-46).
Paul realized that what he had given up in following Christ was not near as valuable as knowing Christ and walking in His power. II Corinthians 12:9, “And He said to me, ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul understood that the less he allowed his fleshly desires to rule him the more the power of God would work through him.
Winners have God’s value system
So if you are looking to be a winner, then change your efforts to God’s system of winning, which is opposite this world’s. Want to be a great ruler? Then serve others (Mark 10:44&45). Want to be rich? Then give away as much as you can (Proverbs 11:24&25). Want to be honored? Then be humble (I Peter 5:6).
Want to be a winner? Maybe you should be like the overweight people who enter the show “Biggest Loser.” These overweight people change their value systems as they focus on losing as much of their health destroying weight they can so that they become a physically healthier person. They persevere in getting rid of old destructive habits and taking on new constructive ones.
Why not do the same, by constantly pressing on to lose as much of this world that is within you and that you possess so that you press onto gain as much of Christ as you can (Philippians 3:12-14).
It would be parallel to what Paul describes in Galatians 5:16-25, in getting rid of the works of the flesh to obtain the fruit of the Spirit.
The real recognition given out in Heaven is for the efforts that God recognizes, which follow His value system. There are no Super Bowl trophies there. No Olympic gold medals. No real estate sales plaques. No player of the year awards. No recognition for most points scored in a video game. No accolades for good stock portfolio performances. No MVP awards, no salesman of the year awards, no national medals, no Peace prizes, etc. There are none of these Earthly achievement awards given out in Heaven.
But there are rewards given out in Heaven, much greater than mere Earthly awards, in the form of crowns and thrones, given for the qualities of the life of Christ which you live out here on Earth.
Want a hero, a real winner to follow?
Jesus is our supreme example, so follow and imitate His value system. All the winners that people follow today cannot measure up to Jesus. He never lost a battle, never sinned, always obeyed the Father, and finished what He was assigned to do. He even overcame death, which no winner on Earth will be able to do.
From a worldly respect, Jesus was a loser. He did not own anything here except the clothes on His back. He left no man made records, no trophies, no big estates, no city with His name on it. He only ended up with 12 followers, and they deserted Him. In the end, He was even crucified.
Yet Jesus left the greatest positive effect on humanity that anyone has ever done. In His ultimate sacrifice on Calvary, Jesus was as the ultimate loser. But in rising from the dead, He became the ultimate winner. Jesus is the only winner who has overcome man’s greatest challenge of death.
Philippians 2:5-11, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus became a loser, becoming less than what He was, so that He would become a winner, becoming more than what He was.
Victory belongs to Jesus
When we lose ourselves in Christ, when we surrender our hearts to Him, we become one with Him, and, because He is always a winner, we can be a winner too. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” I Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
You can follow the winners in this life all you want, and their winning attitudes may help you out most of the time, but they have no power or ability to always be there to fight for you and make sure you win. They are only human, limited by the restrictions of this earthly body, especially death.
But in Jesus Christ you have an eternal hope. He is Emmanuel, always with you, and is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent, the Omniscient God, always fighting for you so that you can live the life of a winner!
So no matter what race you may be running today, know that when you lose yourself in Him, and become one with Him, and He becomes paramount in your life, that He will always take you to victory. Jesus Christ is the only true winner; the only One to whom true Victory belongs.
Hebrews 12:1&2, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
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