Back in the dark ages before cable television, there were only three, count ‘em, three television stations in the US. They were ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Every Saturday afternoon our family gathered around our small black and white television to watch ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
The show opened with many clips from sporting events as host Jim McKay said, “The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.” The thrill of victory depicted some great sports victory that occurred recently.
The agony of defeat was depicted by Olympic ski jumper, Vinko Bogataj. Every week for years the show opened with a clip of Bogotaj going off the side of a ski jump, crashing through barriers, and landing amidst the spectators. Vinko’s crash and subsequent defeat were immortalized by Wide World of Sports.
It was such a terrible crash I winced every time I saw it. Here’s a grainy clip from 1978.
Here’s the thing though. Unless Bogataj had been willing to risk defeat, he never could have known victory. No risk. No reward.
The same is true of you and me. We can only know victory if we are willing to take a risk. Christians who are afraid to take risks will miss what God has for their lives.
Biblical Examples
The Scripture contains numerous examples of men and women who were victorious because they took a risk.
Joab faced the combined armies of the Syrians and Ammonites and was victorious (2 Samuel 10:12).
Esther risked certain death when she broke the royal law to see the king on behalf of her people and saved the nation of Israel (Esther 4:16).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the king’s idol and survived being thrown into the furnace (Daniel 3:16-18).
Peter risked drowning when he stepped out of the boat to walk on water to meet Jesus (Matthew 14:28-29).
Paul continued to preach the Gospel even after he learned officials wanted to imprison him. (Acts 20:24).
In every example, there is an element of faith and submission. Each person had to step out in faith. And each person had to submit their will to God’s call on their life.
Make the Most of Your Life
Writing to the Ephesians, Paul exhorted them to be careful about how they lived, to be wise, and make the most of every opportunity. Most of all, he said, they must not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:15-17).
We are not promised another day on this earth. Time is precious, and opportunities are fleeting. It is incumbent upon us to know what God’s call on our life is, and to step out in faith knowing whatever God has called us to do, He will give us victory!
We can only experience God’s great victory in our lives when we answer God’s call and step out of the boat in faith.
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. What victory can you claim because you stepped out in faith and submitted your life to God’s call? What victory in the Lord is waiting for you to take the first step?
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Category: Personal Development | Obedience to God
