Sunday, August 9, 2015

Not Just a Conqueror

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved is.” (Romans 8:37)

         It’s possible to win…but just barely. A racehorse may cross the finish line by a head or a nose. A candidate for office may win the election by a landslide or a run-off. A prizefighter can win a match by a knockout or a by points. And it’s possible to conquer an adversary with a last strike just before you collapse, or by defeating him handily. You and I can and will conquer, but Paul says our destiny is to be “more than conquers.”

         I used to sing a song by Ira Stanphill entitled, This Old Ship. The theme of the song is the assurance of reaching Heaven, but with the distinct possibility of arriving there is pretty bad shape, after all the storms of life one has had to face. As the chorus says, “I won’t look like much when I get there; but I’m gonna make it through somehow.” It was much loved and I know it was a blessing to many, but I must say, the last nine verses of Romans eight have raised my expectations greatly!

         I read something recently by a great preacher of bygone days, who was pastor of Charles Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle for a time. It emblazoned an image on my heart and mind that I trust I will never forget. From a story in the life of David, he gives us a picture of what it means to be more than a conqueror:

“We are not to come out of the fray saying, ‘My! That was a narrow shave; but with a dance, swinging Goliath’s head in our hand.”

                                                                                – Graham Scroggie

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