Vacation Bible School time at Christian Life Chapel. Our theme this year is the Olympics. How can we become more God Honoring at running the race we call life. Focus, Fair Play and Finishing. We talked about Focus last week, let’s take a look at how we play the game. Winning isn’t always coming in first. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Competition is at the core of our being. We are motivated to do the very best we can no matter what we are doing. We compete against ourselves, we try to improve, we strive to do better each time. While the goal is perfection, the hope is continued improvement. Perfection isn’t something we can attain on this side of heaven.

I say that but we all have seen those who have given up. We see people who have stopped trying. We see people who have become discouraged and beaten down. How do we respond to those people? How do we lift them up and change their future?

Are we in the race? Is it a race we can win? Well, that depends on how we look at things. Paul explains his view;

1 Corinthians 9:22b, I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

How flexible are we? How willing are we to adapt and adjust to win the race? How willing are we to do the same for someone who needs our help in life?

God asks us to have the same value in our heart that he does. His desire is that none of us would perish and spend eternity separated from him. We are His most valuable creation and the crowning achievement of all He created. We are so valuable to Him that he sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to give his life as atonement for our sin.

John 3:16-17 (NLT); “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

It isn’t much of a secret; it is more of a choice. The winning formula is available for anyone who wants to truly run in such a way as to win. The choice comes down to one of two things, we will serve God or we will serve ourselves. It may seem too simple, but, in fact, it is that simple. We need to choose whom we will serve. When challenges come and temptations are great, who will we turn to?

2 Chronicles 7:14, (NLT); Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

To serve God requires that we acknowledge He is greater than we are. He can change things we cannot. He is over all. We need to seek him out, come to him, and follow His guidance. We need to stop doing things that dishonor him. We need to realize that he has the power over life and death; he holds our very being in the palm of his hand.

We have a tendency to make things more complicated than they are. We think that somehow if we turn to God all the fun will be taken out of our lives. We think that we will not be able to do the things that make us happy and fill our lives with joy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You see God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what is good for us and what leads us down the path to destruction. We cannot see the future, but God holds the future in His hand.

Have you ever thought you had something figured out? You knew the 411; you knew everything you needed to know. Then a piece of information came to light that changed your whole perspective on the situation.

We do not know it all. What we see isn’t always what really happened. The way we have always done things is not necessarily the best way. Too many times we fail to have a full understanding of things before we make a decision.

Don’t cut God off short, take the time to allow Him to show you how to win in life. He is the creator of life and knows what is best for each one of us; whether we acknowledge, agree or choose it.

John 10:10, (NLT); The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

We can win; do not let the thief steal it! Turn your life over to Jesus and he will provide you with something that is rich and satisfying. Winning.

Blessings,

Pastor Don