Christian Victory

I'm reading through some camp teachings from Reflections of A Disciple.

Currently reading Illustrations of Christian Victory - Winning in a Sports Game:

One of the games quoted in the Bible is boxing. In boxing, you score by striking your opponent. In the above verse, Paul uses boxing to illustrate Christian victory, that one does not beat the air aimlessly, but hits the opponent. This means that as we attempt to be victorious in Christ, there is real purpose and intent in our actions, like the boxer who throws the punch, to hit his opponent, to achieve a result. Are our lives filled with such purpose and intent as we go about ministering and living out a victorious Christian life?

The words "real purpose" and "intent" really spoke to me. Because recently I have been feeling sian and even though I have desire to do more things for God - and have even listed them out, the moment I sit in front of the computer, I start getting distracted and reading all the news articles and so on, and if I choose to go to Wikipedia... that's the point of no return.

So thinking about it. Do I have REAL purpose and intent? What will set my heart burning afresh for Jesus?

Anyway, I strongly urge you to read through all the sharings on Christian victory. It's very rich and meaningful - not the surface-kind of victory as mentioned in the 'prosperity preachings', but a sound, comprehensive and well-balanced understanding of the inheritance that is promised to us children of God.

I was listening to Wee Leng and Wan Phing share about their experiences as church-planters in Ecuador during the churchplanting/tentmaking course.

And one thing that WL and WP shared encouraged me very much. Often we think that there is a lot of hardship in serving God. Well, yes, that is true... but it also is a time of GREAT JOY and GREAT VICTORY too.

We saw a video of their church. They were singing and dancing... and a lot of them are much less well-off than us. Some are single mums and so on... but what difference does that make when they have the joy of the Lord within them? True, it might be a merely 'cultural' thing... but in that case, we could learn from their culture. In any case, being with people brings joy, 'cos Jesus loves to be with people too!

God's will is that we be singing and laughing even in the face of fierce opposition, of fire and flame, persecution, nakedness, danger and sword. We gladly bear the 'shame' of bearing His name, 'cos it means that Jesus counts us worthy of suffering disgrace for His name!

For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

God really intends us to be filled with songs of victory and joy in our hearts. If we are not joyful in serving the Lord, then... let's see what actually are we expecting in our hearts? What are we looking for, really?