Victory in the Lord
When you are content with any food, any raiment, any climate, any society, andy solitude, any interruption by the will of God – that is victory. When you can patiently bear with any disorder, any irregularity, any unpunctuality, or any annoyance - that is victory. When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your taste offended, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you take it all in patience, loving silence - that is victory. When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or to record your own good works, or to seek after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown - that is victory. When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you smile, inwardly glorying in the insult or the oversight, because thereby counted worthy to suffer with Christ - that is victory. When the enemy presses sorely and the world clamors on all sides; friends forsake and foes malign, and you hide behind the Blood, sweetly resting and rejoicing - that is victory. (1Jn.5:4; Rev.12:11) When death and life are both alike to you through Christ, and to do His perfect will, you delight not more in one than the other - that is victory: for through Him you may be able to say, “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death” (Phil. 1:20; 1Cor.15:54) When others are content with meager measure of piety and power, with an ambition merely to be ‘saved by fire’ and you claim your full inheritance in Christ – an overcomer- in order to reign with Him - that is victory. (Rev.3:21) When like Paul you can throw all your suffering in Jesus, thus converting it into a means of knowing His overcoming grace; and can say from a surrendered heart, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in distress, for Christ’s sake - that is victory (2Cor. 12:7-10) Victory centers wholly in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. You may dwell too much on your weakness and too much on the strength of your foe. You must look away from Satan. You must be absolutely taken up with the Lord Jesus – with His keeping power, with His conquering power, with the certainty of His victory, and your share in it (1Cor. 15:57) The perfect victory is to put “on the Lord Jesus Christ” and thus to triumph over self (Rom.13:14) “In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Rom.8:37) Culled from Gospel Standard. Vol.54 Number 10 |
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