Episode 277: I’m Talkin. . .Victory

I’m Talkin’, episode 277, for August 6th, 2023.

This is Joel from the I’m Talkin’ microcast, where I share my thoughts on a topic that has piqued my interest this past week.

This week we’re talking victory.

What a great word, victory.

It almost has no downside.

Now, some may say, well, what about the person who lost to your victory?

And that is true, so you do have that side of it, but there are times where victory is just something that has happened to you, that it’s a goal you’ve reached or a business that has worked out not at the expense of anyone else.

And just the sound of being able to say victory, it’s like, I don’t know, there’s something visceral about it, something that just gets the heart pumping, that gets you fired up, just thinking of striving for victory.

And the fact is that most victories are not the result of an accident.

Most victories are a result of planning and execution and often takes a great deal of extra work.

And so there’s a satisfaction that goes along with the victory that you’re experiencing.

When you think of victory from the sense of the world, it’s like the same for all of us.

It’s a goal that has been reached.

It’s a plan that has been executed to a goal that we wanted to reach.

And the victory and, you know, raising your hand and raising the flag and all of those things that come with victory, the expression of joy, the outburst of emotion, all of those things are so great.

But herein lies the challenge for those of us who call ourselves Christians.

Is victory all that different for those who are not and those who are Christians?

In some sense, yes, it’s very great, very different.

And some of the emotions, the expressions, the joy, all of those things are very, very similar between us who call in the name of God and those of the world.

It looks very similar.

From the outside, it looks almost identical, if not identical.

But then we speak of the victory, and that is when the vast difference starts to show itself.

When we think of victory, who gets the glory?

Are we heaping praise upon ourselves and upon our ability to get something done, to reach a goal, to win, or are we giving the glory to God, the God of all creation, who gave us a talent that we can use to accomplish, a talent that we can use to gain victory?

He gave us the brain, the mind power, the planning, the abilities to do all of that.

He is the God of creation.

And if we forget that our victories are only because of the victory that Jesus Christ has over death, then we are to be pitied because our victories are momentary.

Our victories are fleeting.

But with Jesus Christ, our victories can be long-lasting.

Our victories can be opportunities to reach the world.

Our victories can give us the ability to live sold out for God’s glory.

Until next week, this is Joel from the I’m Talking Microcast.