What does a winner look like? We Americans are really big on winners and winning. We don’t exactly admire losers or losing. We want to be a winner! So, what does it mean to be a winner? What does a winner look like? Most usually we think of someone who has succeeded in some endeavor of life, financially, academically, or popularly. Those are easy measures of success in our society, yet there are a lot of people who seem to be winning at public things but losing in the things that matter more foundationally.
Here is a guy who is a superstar in sports or here is a woman who is an amazing musician or academic, yet they are failing in the most basic areas of their lives. I am not beating such a person over the head, but that is not the type of success I want. Many times, we see some entertainer receive an award on a nationally televised broadcast. They give a little speech in which they talk about world peace. That is fine and good, but often they don’t even have peace in their own twenty-thousand square foot home. If they don’t even have peace in their own house with the people they know in their world, how can they tell us that we need to have world peace? There has got to be something bigger that defines winning or conquering.
In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus is addressing seven churches. While there are many good, individual messages, a couple messages emerge that are consistent to all the churches that Jesus addresses. First, He says, “I know your works, good and bad.” Two, He says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.” Three, He says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Fourth, He talks about overcoming or conquering, “To him that overcometh.” So, these four elements are found in all of the addresses to the churches. One, the fact that Jesus knows us. Two, the fact that we need to hear Jesus. Three, the fact we need to repent. Fourth, the fact that we can win or conquer.
What is the point of all of this? The point is that you will never conquer until you adapt what you think to what God knows. What does God know? He knows everything, the good and the bad. For instance, to the church at Thyatira the Lord says, “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” He says a lot of good things, but it continues, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee.”
Most people in our lives either see all the good or all the bad. Your mother most likely sees all the good. My mother thinks that what I do is great, and of course I love her even more for being biased toward me. On the other hand, maybe you have some antagonists in your life and it doesn’t matter what you do, they will never be pleased. You cannot please people when they just don’t like you.
Jesus is not that way. The Father in Heaven and Jesus the Son know our works, good and bad. So, in many of these addresses Jesus says, “I know your works. I know some good things, but I know some things that need to change.” Since that is the case, we need to hear. “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the spirit saith.” Jesus often said the same thing in His earthly ministry, “You’ve got ears. Use them. Don’t just let the audio come in through your ears. Hear it with your mind.”
“Repent” means “a change of mind.” To one of the churches, Jesus said, “Remember,” then He said, “Repent.” Remember is to bring to mind to the truth. Repent is to change the mind to the truth. The upshot of my willingness to change what I think to what God knows is that I can overcome. There is so much in life that is above my head and beyond my power, but the Bible says that greater is He that is in me than he that is in world. The Bible says, “We are more than conquerors through him.”
Today, I don’t know what the obstacles in your life may be, but I know that you will never conquer until you adapt what you think to what God knows. He knows everything; you know Him. He is worthy of your trust and your obedience.