You Cannot Win If You Don't Enter

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner" is a line from the movie "21" that came out a few years ago. I don't think it is original with that movie, but it was the first time I heard the line. It is a catchy line and stays in your head as you repeat the line over a few times. It was said when a person won at roulette; such a risky game, but usually a big payoff.

You will not experience the great payoff if you do not put your money down. Guaranteed not to win. You can win pretty big if you do play. The more confident in your guess of the number, the more you will put down.

As we examine that text from Sunday's sermon, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Enter ~ Only those who enter will have any chance at winning. Are you wanting to know an answer, looking for something, or anticipating an open door? Enter in to the process of going to God. Ask what you want from God. He can definitely provide what you need. Ask for whatever, but keep in mind, the answer you receive must have been what was needed for you at this point in time. Seek for the grandest and you will enjoy what you find. Knock with the understanding the answer will be just what you need. If you don't you will receive nothing.
• Take a Chance ~ There are times when I utilize a process of asking people for something with an understanding they may say "no" but if I do not ask, I will never know. Do you think it is totally out of the question that you are given what you want, whatever the "want" is? Maybe it is in your future and you just need to ask God. Take a chance and see what you might receive. If you don't you will never know.
• Be Confident ~ "Go big or go home!" One saying says "Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star" by W. Clement Stone. When you are wanting an answer, seeking something, or knocking on a door, do it with confidence and go big. What may come about may not be what you aimed for, but it could be something worthwhile, nonetheless. However, if you aim for something less than the "moon" you will get even less. I don't want to limit God, but ask for something big and leave it up to Him where to send my "arrow."

You could be the next "winner" but you have to open up to do so. Go to God in confidence and humility as you ask, seek and knock. You may be amazed at what you receive, find and what is on the other side of the "door."

Getting Beyond the Pain

I can remember a time when I felt THE worst pain in my muscles I had ever felt.  Most of the time whenever I would exercise the pain would not show up until the following day – after that good night’s sleep.  This was the first and only time I had felt this type of pain only about an hour or two after the activity.  The cause…a piece of rehabilitation equipment called a Biodex.

For anyone who doesn’t know, the type of exercise that creates the soreness is called a negative contraction.  Most contractions in muscles cause the muscle to shorten. A negative contraction is where the muscle is contracted and is actually being forced to lengthen.

When I was being shown how this piece of rehabilitation equipment works, like a dummy, I climbed up on the chair.  The feature I was being shown was that I had to pull back when the device was in one position – then the machine would push out while I was trying to hold it.  Thus, elongating my hamstring muscle group, while contracted. Then, when the leg was straight, I had to kick out.  The machine, then, would pull my leg back.  Thus elongating my quadriceps muscle group.

Doing these about ten times created this unbelievable soreness.  I had a hard time walking up stairs that evening…it was almost unbearable!  That brings us to this week’s quote…

The man who can drive himself further, once the effort gets painful is the one who will win.  ~Roger Bannister

I have been in the midst of fighting through pain, even if I didn’t receive first place when it was all said and done.  However, this type of pain is not always about muscular pain, or the like.  Maybe it is pain to keep going with your job, with being a parent, with being a spouse, to keep going through high school, or to continue with any commitment.

A winner isn’t always defined as a person who comes in first.  A winner can be that in character.  They can be the hero that allows something great to happen.

Fight through the pains in life…and you’ll come out a winner!

And the Winner is...

A popular phrase that is said a lot where they are handing out awards. In fifth grade I entered a science fair. I worked on creating an ear model. It was to show how the ear worked. My dad and I worked and worked on that. Then, we took it to the science fair. I was proud of that project. I can’t remember how I did with the speaking part to explain the model to the judge. However, I do remember the anticipation I felt when we went to the awards ceremony. “Is it me? Did I win?” were my thoughts. I also remember the utter shame and foolishness that I felt when my name wasn’t called for third, second, or first place. I had my dad take me home immediately after I found this news out. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that ear model again. I didn’t enter the next year.

This last week, the Powerball lottery was up to $222 million dollars. That isn’t pocket change for anyone. (As I am writing this before the drawing, I don’t know if anyone won or not) That money will make a difference in everyone’s life. Managed well, you wouldn’t have to do anything for the rest of your life. But what about all of the people who put in their one dollar, two, five, or ten dollars, that didn’t win? Will they play again? Most probably will. If no one won this drawing, there was another one last night (Saturday). Someone will eventually win and they will be financially set for life.

In our Christian walk, we sometimes feel like there is only one winner. Only one who “wins the race”. They see all the good things happening to everyone else, and just see their life as creeping toward miserable. Friends, that is not the case at all. The race is there for everyone who is “in Christ” to be able to finish. The finish line is put up again after each person has crossed it. We all get the chance to finish the race. We all can be winners in His kingdom.

Jesus continually holds an awards banquet and He has stacks and stacks of envelopes with cards inside with names on them. Jesus stands at the podium and says that infamous phrase, “And the winner is…” YOU! You are a winner! You have been given the honor of being a part of something great. Then, when all is over, you get to go and be with Him to an even better place, as He considers you a “good and faithful servant”.

How exciting and awesome is it to see yourself a winner! You don’t have to sit in the audience and wonder if your name is going to be called. He’s calling it continually. Relish in the fact that as a child of His, you are a winner! Kick up your heels, get a bounce in your step, puff out your chest because you are a winner! Show it off proudly but in a way that you want others to win, too. Who will you show your winning trophy to this week? Who do you want someone to hear their name mentioned after the phrase “And the winner is…”? Go, help someone else win, too!