VICTORY
There’s a phrase in the New Testament that returns to my mind whenever I get down… “More than conquerors.”
I’ve never thought of myself as a “winner” – I’ve never played on a team that won a championship. I’ve never won “1st Place” in anything in my life.
But Romans 8:37 tells me unequivocally “In all these things, we are more than conquerors.”
Christ won the victory over sin & death by his death and resurrection. So, that’s a victory over every obstacle we can ever face.
Victory reminds me of the story of the Roman Emperor, Constantine who converted to Christianity – and won a great victory in battle.
Constantine, in a time of personal struggle, wondered which god to pray to, and remembered that his emperor father had prayed to a single god in times of struggle, likely the high god of the sun, Helios. Looking at the sun, Constantine caught a vision from the True God, a vision of a cross with these words on it: ”in hoc signo vinces“(Latin) or “in this [sign]you will conquer.”
Afterwards, the believing emperor commanded all his troops to bear the sign of the cross (technically, the Chi Rho, 2 Greek letters crossed) on their shields. They were victorious from then on.
In learning about Jesus Christ and trusting in Christ, the Emperor Constantine won an important military victory, but more importantly, Constantine brought about the conversion of the empire, to become the Holy Roman Empire, ushering in the age of wide acceptance of Christ.
Victory is not a “far off” thing. This is a promise that is here and now, for you. There’s no challenge that you face that won’t be improved by the hope, the upbuilding, the strength of the knowledge that you are, already, “more than a conqueror, in Christ”(Romans 8:37). For, just as in the resurrection, God raised Jesus to new life, so in the cross, we will conquer, by the grace of God.
Resources for the week of 8/23/09: Church of the Resurrection; wikipedia.org; Smithsonian.