Wednesday, April 19, 2017

The Overcomers

UV 2258/10000 The Overcomers
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16 v 33

People of this world seek for plenty, under the assumption that prosperity would assure them of peace and happiness. But, the person who makes much more than he or she needs is like a fisherman who goes fishing, only to catch a whale. The whale of this world would pull him or her out of the boat and pull him or her to the bottom of the sea. His accidental good fortune would destroy him. Instead, we should seek the abundance of peace that Jesus gives those who place their trust in His words. Sufficiency of resources and abundance of peace is a more worthy goal. The words that Jesus has spoken to us in the gospels are the source of strength and help us to overcome the world and its afflictions.

Jesus did not promise His followers a life of ease but He warned them of the trials and tribulations they would face in life as they followed Him. He encourages us with His own example. He faced the most difficult of circumstances, trials and torment but He overcame the world. He overcame sin, He overcame sorrow, He overcame diseases, He overcome shortages of resources, He overcame poverty, He overcame betrayal and isolation, He overcame shame. These are the fiery arrows the enemy aims at each one of us. As we face these adversities, we should neither be troubled nor afraid, sad or depressed. We should be filled with the peace of Jesus. We can rejoice that by faith and grace, we can overcome each of these.

The cause of suffering in this world is the dialectic of the moral universe- the thesis and the antithesis, the Christ and the anti-Christ. The enemy, the anti-Christ is the prince of this world and is unrighteous. He therefore targets the followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace for following the righteous standards of Jesus. Since Jesus who is with us greater than him who is in this world, we are able to overcome. With the historic victory of Jesus on the cross and from the grave, the antichrist is already defeated and judged. We are declared victors by faith and grace. We are overcomers, more than conquerors, winners and the heroes of yesteryears as without a struggle or efforts on our part, we have conquered, won and accomplished in the spiritual realms. We are adjudged and declared winners even before the fight is over, even before the race is finished.

Prateep V Philip

No comments:

Post a Comment