Original Entry: June 6, 2007
10 "As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the LORD our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed." 2 Chronicles 13: 10-12
In 1995 I was the Defensive Coordinator for my Alma Mater, Morro Bay High School. We ended with an impressive 13-0, CIF championship season and a 51-15 championship victory over Templeton High School. For two years the Southern Section of CIF moved us down a level to compete (for once) with teams that were our size or smaller instead of the perennial losses to schools twice our size. We rolled through our league, beating each team twice and ending the season playing one of the teams in our league for a third time in the championship game. Templeton High School needed a miracle to win and we knew they couldn’t pull it off, but had to wait to let the final score prove it.
Have you ever been in a fight you knew you could never win?
I have.
Here are a few that stand out in infamy in my mind. Our varsity basketball team of my junior year of high school year actually practiced stalling to keep St. Joseph High under 100 points. We knew we had no chance against their 6’7”, 6’6” and 6’8” line up when our center (that would be me) was a vertically undersized 6’ with shoes on and no player stood over six feet tall.
It didn't work. They scored substantially more than the 100 point mark.
The first time I ever saw fear in my teammates’ eyes prior to a contest was prior to our contest against Portland State University in 1988. At that time the PSU Vikings were huge, fast, and undefeated as they rolled over us in an impressive 42-0 victory (by halftime o less) and rolled on to the national championship game. I cannot remember if they won or lost.
If men are honest most of us would admit to times we knew going in that we were either going to win or lose big. As a follower of Jesus, a man can rest assured that he WILL win big! It is a blow out! Knowing that godly men win big should change how they live on earth. So often godly men (me included) cower when it comes to sharing Jesus with our friends, family and co-workers. This intrigues me. If a man knows he will win big in the end (read the last page of the Bible), then why does he live small? Or worse, why does he live trying not to lose.
Why does he throw the screen instead of going deep?
Why do I bunt instead of swinging for the fence?
Shouldn’t a man’s preset margin of life match his future margin of victory?
Absolutely!
