A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON WINNING

This idea was first brought to my attention when I was in college playing a challenge match for my school team. I was losing to this guy who had come to play after staying out late partying and drinking. Then he began to cuss loudly taking God’s name in vain and saying vile words with God’s name mixed in. I began to think that not only should God allow me to win the match but should probably strike this guy down from heaven with a lightning bolt. After all I was a Christian and here I was losing to a heathen. I can remember thinking what was God thinking about! I struggled with the thought that why don’t Christians win all the time. So I came to the conclusion that God probably had not made a mistake, He is incapable of that, but maybe I did not know God. I really just wanted to win. I needed to look at God’s Word and see what He says about winning.

What does God say about winning? NOTHING! But He does say a lot about Himself and what He desires for His children. And I think that knowing Him we can discern what His perspective is on winning. The first conclusion I came to about God is that He is Sovereign. That means He is in control. In I Chronicles 29:12,13...Indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou exalt thyself as Head over all...Isaiah declares His purpose will be established. Daniel says it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings, David said He spoke and it was done and Paul says He causes all things to work together for good. God is in control because He is Omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent. Which means He can do anything, He knows everything and He can be everywhere.

The second conclusion I came to is that God is in control of who wins a particular contest. (tennis, football, baseball, golf,etc.) I Chronicles 29:11 He is the greatness, and the glory and the victory and the majesty... Isaiah says He knows the end from the beginning. I began to look at all the battles of the Old Testament. I was trying to compare victory on the battlefield with winning an athletic contest. God always had something to do with the outcome. When David met Goliath in the classic mismatch, he confidently told Goliath that, “this day the Lord will deliver you into my hands..” In II Chron. 17 King Asa called on God to save the tribe of Judah from the million man Ethiopian Army. Verse twelve reads: “So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah and the Ethiopians fled. In II Chron 20 a similar situation arises and King Jehoshaphat prays to God for help. God’s answer is, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” Time and time again God causes the victory or in some cases the defeat (as in Ai)

Therefore, the only logical conclusion is to KNOW GOD. And the good part is that He is knowable and wants to be known. Jeremiah says, “but let him who boast, boast of this that he understands and knows Me (God), that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth.” Hosea tells us, “so let us press on to know the Lord.” And the wisest man who ever lived (Solomon) tells us that if we seek Him (God) it will lead us to wisdom. God calls us all into a covenant relationship with Himself. He desires to have a personal relationship with us. But He wants it in the form of a commitment. The Bible tells us that we have been separated from God because of our sin. Sin is defined as missing the mark, God’s mark. Just like missing the tennis court with an errant backhand, we missed God’s mark spelled out in His Word. Romans 6:23 tells us the cost of sin is spiritual death or separation from God. And to make matters worse Romans 3:23 tells we are all in this same boat. We are all separated from God, because we all sin. And somebody has to pay this cost. This is a problem for God because He loves us. So God came to earth in the form of man, Jesus (God, the Son) to die in our place and pay our penalty on the Cross. I Peter 3:18, “Christ also died for sin, once and for all , the just for the unjust in order that he might bring us to God.” Our job now is to believe what Jesus did was for me and receive it. John 1:12 says, “but as many as have received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” When we believe this by putting my faith in what Jesus di on the Cross, and commit my life to Him I become “born again”. Jesus comes into my life and becomes my coach.

Then four things happen. First, I receive for forgiveness for all my sin. I get to start over, that what the term “born again” means. It like losing the first set in tennis and then getting a “redo “and start over again. Secondly, I get a new righteousness. That means I get a new record. God takes my record of sins and Jesus’’ record of sins, which is none, and swaps the records. Jesus got my record and paid for my sins on the Cross and I get Jesus spotless record in return. What a deal!!! That is why they call the Gospel the good news. Then God treats me as if I was Jesus. My former sins are not held against me. Third, I become God’s son (daughter). How great is that. I am a child of the King. Last but not least I get the Holy Spirit to come live in side of me. The Holy Spirit or God, the Spirit in my heart. I now have a power source in my life to make me different. Being a Christian is not a self improvement program, although we hope that happens, It is a supernatural change on my inside. II Cor 5:17, calls it becoming a new creature, not just me better, but Jesus in me.

Now I want to look at my sport from God’s perspective. God loves me and has a plan for my life. He is concerned with every aspect of my life, that includes sports. And if I am His son He is always for me. He always has my best interest at heart. That doesn’t always mean it is in my best interest that I always win. I love Romans 8:28, “God causes all things to work together for my good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. If I am His son, I love God and are called according to His purpose. Therefore all things work together for my good, winning and losing. But he reason they work for my good is because of the next verse. Verse 29 says, he does it because he is conforming me to the person of Jesus Christ. God’s goal for me its to become just like Jesus. He is going to use circumstances in my life to mold me who He designed me to be. That might be winning, that might mean losing, only He knows. But I can be assured He is in control. Therefore, I don’t have to worry about the outcome. I want to win, my job is to train hard, play honest, and give 100%. Now I am freed up to play my best. I don’t have to worry about my performance, He is in control.

Now one of God’s principles in Proverbs is that hard work pays off. So this doesn’t mean I don’t try. And wisdom is important. I should try to get the best information and training possible. But all that doesn’t assure a victory. And also winning is not always God’s blessing. Unfortunately, we seem to learn more from a loss than a victory. That seems to be human nature. When I win I think I did it. When I lose I look for answers. One last thing why do we play? Are we looking for the praise of man? As Christians we want to please our Father. Check your reason for playing and why we get upset when we lose. Sports don’t make character they reveal character.