Ever played a ballgame under forfeit? Some team didn’t enough players and they gave the game to you up front, but then said, “We can still play if you want and use it as a practice.” Well, there you go…Christianity 101. We were given the gift of eternal life via the Cross up front while now living a life of “practice” down here on earth. The championship, the “big-game,” the future crème de la crème is coming…a peaceful and victorious eternal life.
How should we live here? Fight to do good works, righteous behavior, pray 42 times on your knees a day, please everyone, posture for the world to stamp their approval or not, live subconsciously under patriarchal/matriarchal dominance our entire lives, punishing ourselves for not living up to a standard, trying to live by rules…come on…you can’t do that and neither can I. Many have tried and failed. It’s a very legalistic way to live. Furthermore, very boring, dull, and mundane.
It could be said this way: We are living here and now FROM our “win,” not FOR a “win.”
When you live in the FROM, all the pressure comes off. You can let yourself off the hook and relax in peace. God accepts you; He loves you, He died for you, it’s done…and, you accepted that free gift (if you did). That’s all He asked from you…recognize what He did, and he changes your heart and then a lifetime of allegiance to Him is fleshed out.
Eric Geiger said it best, “We live for Christ, not to be approved by Him, but because we already are. The only battle you and I have daily is to bring our own heart into alignment with Christ’s.”
We are replacing bondage for freedom!!! It takes a lifetime of work to detox and recover from what we were born into…sin, scars, wounds! And, when you fail, you know it’s already been covered. The difference is, for the follower of Jesus, we care when we fail. We care to keep learning, stretching, growing, and becoming the best-self God made us to be. We never settle! And, we never work to be accepted or to win…we are simply honing our craft while on earth…with our money, our marriage, our mouths, our ministries, and our mantras. We are living FROM the “win” not FOR a “win.” Enjoy the practice game because if you screw up, and you will, you still don’t lose the game. The win was already recorded.
With that in mind, I have noticed four kinds of people in the “game” here and in the “end game” of eternity:
1.Alive and Miserable
2.Dead and Miserable
3.Alive and Happy
4.Dead and Happy
#3 and #4 folks are on the same mission, and quite Jesus conscious and therefore realize the “FROM” for themselves. They live in peace, have peace, and give peace. They are often full of chutzpah when needed, but all in all, in their spirit, they relax, they live big, they are adventurous, playful, spontaneous, and they believe “anything is possible with God.” The enemy uses hurtful circumstances to derail us in order to help us forget the real game was already recorded as a win. No way…can’t let him do that!
Even Johnny Manziel, former Texas A&M quarterback, controversial, and quite contrary at times recently said, “I’ve finally gotten to a point where I’m trying to achieve happiness in life, not happiness on the football field. I can honestly say I’m happy and I’m doing the right things to try and put a smile on my face every day, and that means more to me than going out and grinding on a football field.” One more piece Johnny…stay away from that “for” side and lean toward the “from” side. That makes all of us a winner!
