His Victory, Now My Victory
Here in Tennessee, football season is about to start back again, and here where I live, it is all about the Tennessee Volunteers.
The stadium will be filled up during home games with almost 102,000 people shouting and cheering on their team.
Whenever the Volunteers win, the whole city is in a better mood because it translates into a win for our city.
So in a sense, a Volunteer win is my win, their victory is my victory. Now I did nothing to make that win happen, I simply get to revel in it.
All that I am talking about right now is a natural phenomenon that confirms a spiritual reality.
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
In Christ, we are always being led in triumph!
When our military returned home after the world wars victorious, cities held large parades to celebrate the victory and declare the war had ended.
Every 4th of July, as a nation, we celebrate our Declaration of Independence. This includes the hard-fought victory that followed when, as a nation, we fought for our freedom from King George of England. Centuries later, we still celebrate as a nation.
How much more should the church celebrate the victory that is ours in Christ?
God is leading us in a parade of sorts in triumph because, as heaven celebrates Christ and His victory, we are in Him and therefore part of the triumphal procession.
While still here on this earth, we are His perfume; our presence announces His victory and His greatness. As we learn to walk aware of being in Him and therefore reveling in His victory over sin and death, we can't help but carry His fragrance.
Believers who know how to celebrate are not weird, as the religious may state. They are actually the normal ones because they understand that when in a victory procession, one should wave their hands high, smile, sing, and shout. Just as here in Knoxville, when the Tennessee Volunteers score, everyone sings the team song Rocky Top! What are they doing? They are celebrating! When we stand in His victory, we are permitted to become a little undignified in our celebrating Him! Being stoic and reserved is for those who struggle to believe His victory is our victory because we are now in Him. Less about me and more about Him frees me to celebrate well.
