Stay the Course

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

Revelation 7:10

In the movie, "The Patriot", Mel Gibson plays the title character who reluctantly takes up arms against the British Army.  After having lost his second son to this conflict, Gibson=s character, Benjamin Martin, loses his heart for the fight and is about to quit, when his commanding officer calls upon him to Astay the course@. 

So often the daily problems, heartaches, and horrors of this life seem to accumulate and weigh us down.  These struggles come at us from every direction.  Financial struggles, illness, marriage problems, depression, and broken relationships all leave us in a seemingly hopeless situation.  Despite the many struggles we face, the Lord calls us to Astay the course@ for we already have the victory.

For the Christian, all of life is lived based upon this simple promise - our victory has been won in Christ.  In Revelation, chapter 7, the promise has been heard, believed and celebrated.  ASalvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.@  The saints of God celebrate the eternal victory before there is a new heaven and new earth; before there is a New Jerusalem coming down out of the sky; before there is a river of life flowing from the throne of God.  The people of God celebrate as if it has already happened, for indeed, for the faithful in God=s grace - it is certainly true!

Victory is what the Christian life is all about!  Victory – it’s on our faces, it’s in our voices, and the truth is in our hearts.  Our loved ones who died before us have lost nothing but have in fact gone on to claim the crown of righteousness which the righteous Judge has kept for them.  Eternal life has been given to us without any merit or worthiness in us, for all it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey God - this is most certainly true!

We have already won the battle!  We have already won the battle before we lose that job, before the heart attack, before the struggle with cancer, before failure with our children or spouse, before those feelings of being hurt, lost, or lonely, before we wonder if we will ever smile again.  Before any of that, our God-given faith cries out - VICTORY!  The victory was won on Easter morning.  On that first resurrection day, God, through His Son Jesus Christ, proclaimed victory forever and nothing can change it.  Nothing can ever set it aside!  "Stay the course", for victory is yours through Christ!