Daily Word

The Lord is not interested in making us prosperous, but victorious!

Victory is seeing Jesus come walking on the stormy waves of your life. To be calm, collected and safe in the midst of life's worst chaos, because you are sure that He is with you, and turns the worst that happens into the best.

That is victory.

What's the best thing that could happen to you and me?

Not that we are prosperous in human terms and succeed in what we do, not even that we have success in spiritual terms and do "great things for God", but that we are transformed into the image of Christ.

This is the only thing that matters in time and eternity.

To be transformed into the image of Christ is a lifelong and often painful process, because it means

that we must die from all that we are in ourselves and not have eyes for anyone or anything other than Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1 describes this as a race where we must lay aside everything that hinders us in order to run forward towards the goal, the goal that Paul describes in Philippians 3:7-14: "to gain Christ and be found in Him."

That can only happen through being "conformed to his death" in order to “know Him and the power of His resurrection.”

We cannot endure this unless we constantly draw strength, support, and encouragement by steadily "fixing our eyes on Jesus," Jesus, who endured infinitely more for our sake than we ever will have to.

Then we can continue forward towards the joy set before us, without growing weary and loosing heart, to finally stand there victorious together with Him.