Win

When I was a young boy back 12 or 15 years ago we would play baseball in the back of two of our neighbor’s home where their yards joined; it made for a nice ball field. We would decide a captain for each team; not always the same person and they would get to pick their team. Now from time to time I would be the captain and I would pick the team and I always started at the best and went down to the ones no one really wanted on their team. They couldn’t bat, catch and was a sure out when they came to the plate. The reason I wanted the best players on my team was that I wanted to win. But the older I got I started to thinking about how that person or persons must have felt when they knew that they would always be picked last. Now winning is still important but I began to look at winning from a different perspective. I asked myself what’s most important here; winning the game that no one will remember a week later or building up encouragement in a life that can win every day. Here is what I began doing when I was captain; and after everyone learned what I was doing I became captain more and more because my team was more than likely going to lose. I would hear “ok it’s your turn pick a player” I would then pick my first player I would look over my choices and then I would pick a player that couldn’t hit, catch and was always picked last. Man you should have seen their eyes with they heard their name called first as I would pick not from the best down but from the worse up. Because I understood that next week no one would remember the score but next week that group of young men would remember that on that day they were winners even though we lost the game. I still want to win, why play if you’re not playing to win?  The Apostle Paul said this about what he wanted to win.

 Philippians 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Now in the book of Hebrews we read this

Hebrews 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Now get the picture; we are given  a picture of an arena full of specters’ for sure there are people in that arena we don’t know. But in that arena there are people we do know and because of that we want to do our very best for they are watching us. In order to our best there are some things that we must get rid of “Every Weight” for weights will keep us from doing our best? It could be the weight of unforgiveness or the weight of doubt, the weight of anger all those weights will keep you from running well and doing our best. Then there is the sin which so easily beset us like the sin of hate, lust, envy, guilt; wait a minute did you notice the word was “sin not sins.” The sin of rejecting the Lord Jesus will keep anyone from winning. It really doesn’t matter what we have here and now because the runners in this race have one goal

Hebrews 12:2  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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. All that’s going to matter when our life comes to an end; It will not matter if you were wealthy, poor, could read and write, doctor or lawyer all that will matter on that day is ‘DID YOU KNOW WHO JESUS WAS!” If you do then you’re a winner and if you don’t you’re a loser that’s why Paul said nothing was more important to him than winning Christ.  Paul said that he counts ALL THINGS worthless for it was much better for him to know Christ Jesus as his Lord and because of Him   everything becomes worthless. Get rid of the weight, get in the race and don’t look at those around you or the things that might draw away your attention and keep your eyes upon JESUS.