Winning? Or losing?

[Symphony]

How is your *walk* going?


Are you winning?  


Or losing?  


   Why??

[Willowbirch]

A little of both!  

[Symphony]

Hmmm

[nChrist]

Physically, I don't walk very well.

Spiritually, I have my ups and downs, but I consider myself to be a definite winner in Christ.

I think we all need to visit the THRONE OF GRACE more often and refill all of our spiritual medications. We find the best prescriptions in HIS WORD and in PRAYER, and we can refill them as often as we want to FREE OF CHARGE.

Thanks be unto God for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

By the way, Symphony and Willowbirch, you are both winners.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Symphony]

Why thank you, bep.  

Yes, actually as Willow says it, a li'l of both.  Or a lot of both.  Our cup runneth over, and we are fools for Christ's sake.

I like to think of myself as "winning".  I suppose we all do.  But I've begun to see that as a choice, mentally, or spiritually, or emotionally.  I've begun noticing all the "winning" combinations in my life lately--usually not very big things, just little things--that are probably no different than in the past, except that I just looked at them differently, their "losing" aspects, or was so busy thinking about what they were "not", instead of what they "were"--or "are".

Like the ram that is there over in that thicket, just when Abraham needs it, in place of offering Isaac instead.

Apparently that ram was right there all the time.  But it had to be "noticed".

And when we are "losing", I've begun to notice that every loss possibly has an "uptick" to it--you just don't know when that uptick is coming.  And it doesn't always show itself when you think that it aught or should.  And you don't have any control over that "uptick", although you can prevent it, or mess it up, on the theory that it is possible for human beings to always be thwarting or messing up the Spirit's larger fulfillments(even though still larger, "everything does work together for good for them that love the Lord"( ).  Sort of like a bumbling INspector Clouseau, or the Three Stooges, or Mr. McGoo(the thing I like about those, or least McGoo is, as bumbling and as blind as he is, his bumbling and crooked, convoluted path and detour he's always taking always ends up apprehending the evil going on about him, and through no help from him.      McGoo, perhaps without intending it, seems a very spiritual metaphor, about the working of God's spirit(the one I'm thinking of is the children's movie of several years ago, with Leslie Nielson)).

   

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Symphony,

Our journey here is short and sure to have ups and downs. I like to reflect on something my grandfather used to say, "Christians ought to be the happiest people in the world because they know what eternity holds." I think the big problem is attitude in what we see, what we expect, and especially what we give thanks for. Maybe I should have said "my problem". When I stop to count blessings, my attitude becomes more positive. When I stop to think about what God has done for my family and I, I want to give thanks and try to do more for HIM. I think there is a lot of peace and joy IN HIM that we all fail to take. Thus, the ups and downs. Placed in the prior analogy, it would be us failing to take God's prescriptions as directed.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Willowbirch]

Amen, Symphony and BEP!

[Symphony]

I think the big problem is attitude in what we see, what we expect, and especially what we give thanks for.


Thanks willow, and yep, bep.  Our "expectations" lead us astray.


Now a few days later, just thinking:  It's not about losing or winning.  "In the spirit..." isn't about losing or winning.

As Paul says somewhere, we always have our "yes" in Him.

During a few moments the other day when I "felt" like, hmm, this is what it means to be walking in the spirit, "winning" or "losing" didn't even seem to enter the equation.  They didn't seem to matter.  And as that dawned on me, it seemed like everything was "winning"(whether they were going the way I had "planned" or wanted, or not...).

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Symphony,

I think you are exactly right. If we have Christ in our hearts, we have already won and are winners for eternity.

In Christ,
Tom