One and Done? Not once!
BY JAMES MAYO
The NFL playoffs are in full swing. This is the time of year when the stress level goes up in many homes throughout the country. The reason is obvious: for every team left, you win or you go home. Games change on a funny bounce, a camera angle, or a long fingernail. And every fan is waiting for it to happen. One mistake and it could be all over…
I know a lot of fans who mourn their team’s losses for months. They brood over bad passes, bad calls, and bad seasons. I can’t imagine what the players feel like—especially when their bad decision ended the season.
It’s not that way with God!
I’m glad God doesn’t use the “one and done” method for us. I’m glad one mistake doesn’t bounce us from the rolls of Heaven. I love Paul’s phrase in 1 Corinthians 6:11: “Such were some of you…” One mistake doesn’t condemn us. One mistake doesn’t even mean God won’t use us. Moses was a murderer. Paul was, too. David could be on that list. Samson couldn’t keep his mind on his job. But then, neither could Solomon, Aaron, Eve, Eutychus, or the disciples. The list, of course, would eventually include everyone who ever lived. Well, everyone except…
Christ—The Perfect Victor
We do make mistakes. We sin. We fall short. We leave things undone we should do and do things that should have been left undone. But because of Christ, we can still be victorious over sin. Paul uses the imagery of the victorious Roman army and the grand parade held to honor both the army and the person who led that army when he wrote “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14) The Roman army wasn’t always victorious. Around this time, they had been fighting Boudicca in Britain, fighting to a draw on the Rhine, and losing ground to the Parthians. As great as Rome was, they were beatable. But Christ is the perfect King. He always leads us to victory.
Romans 8:37—We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
James D. Mayo 