THE GLORY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

DAY 30 WINNING EDGE DEVOTIONS

REV. 5: 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

There is a purpose in winning and losing. The purpose is part of the design of measurement and meaning. Losing peaks our hungers and hurts. The importance of losing is the feeling we have. It is a reality. We suffer loss and the suffering pulls off all the facade of false living and idolatry. It also prepares us for winning.

The joy of winning is maximized to the degree of probability of loss; the greater the conflict, the more dangerous the foe, the greater the win. The thrill of winning is a type of glory. Think about a team that has always come short, year after year. There is a nemesis that has always taken away their joy. After years of failing, that same losing team finally breaks through. The joy of that celebration! The satisfaction of that accomplishment!

The gospel account is really a story of a great victory in the aftermath of great loss. God and man experienced pain over the fall in Eden. God’s holiness demanded wrath. There was the administration of a curse: thorns, sweat, pain,…and death.

A hero came and took on the curse. He took on the thorns, sweat, pain, and death on a cross. What seemed like a tragic loss as He was placed in the tomb was actually a preparation for final victory.The celebration of the resurrection was magnified by the loss and suffering of sin. It was a type of glory, the story of accomplishment.

This is lived out day by day in our lives. The seasons of defeat seem to beat us down and wear us out. We hide in shadows of sin and shame. Our enemies continue the accusations and threats. We retreat on roads of cynicism or addictions.

But the losses are preparing us for victory. We hunger for love and hold on to hope. We cry out to our Father and His love for us never stops. We feebly reach out one more time and step into a glorious win!

The above passage is the celebration of eternal championships. That same type of celebration is available to our hearts. We must keep preaching the gospel to our selves everyday, fight the good fight of faith, persevere through times of defeat, and expect sudden victory! God is too good to not right all the wrong!

Lord, I want to have the glory of accomplishment written on my heart. Give me the strength to keep hanging on! AMEN