Greater than Conquerors

UV 578/10,000 Greater than Conquerors Romans 8 v 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Human beings, individually and collectively, are in quest of conquest: the conquest of new frontiers of science, the conquest of disease, the conquest of markets and so on. But, one common quest is overcoming death and what death holds for us. Jesus alone in His death and resurrection helps us overcome death and the fear of death. We overcome the fear of the first death- the death of our physical bodies and overcome the second death, the dying of our souls. Conquerors have to travel a long distance to conquer people and territory. But, we are more than conquerors as without moving a finger, we are redeemed by the love of God. If Alexander the Great is considered the greatest conqueror, each of us is declared by this uni-verse to be greater than him. He conquered territories and defeated armies all the way from Greece to India but he did it at the cost of the "blood, sweat, toil and tears" of his troops. We too face hardship in our lives and difficulties in winning souls for God’s kingdom, but we win people not through violence but through sharing the love of God. The Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Heaven wrested victory for us by shedding His own blood. He secured victory over the enemy of our souls and his forces of darkness forever. Our victory comes not by struggling with God as Jacob did as indicated in the name "Israel" but in surrendering all to Jesus. Alexander the greatest conqueror was strong in his battle tactics but he was given to vices and arrogance. The Lord will help us overcome our inner weaknesses and in this sense, too we are more than conquerors. Neither trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, poverty, danger of violence deterred the apostle Paul in his mission. He was convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, or the powers that be could separate him from the love of Christ. He had overcome the limitations that these things could place on him. Similarly, we must see what are the limiting factors in our lives and seek the power of God to overcome. God in His love and grace will help us overcome every physical or financial or social or spiritual limitation that keeps us from fulfilling His will in our lives. A conqueror shares the spoils of conquest with his troops but true rewards await them back in the home country. Similarly, the blessings we receive on earth are like the spoils of battle. The real or true rewards that neither rust nor moth can spoil await us in the kingdom of God. Prateep V Philip