And
Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into
Your hands I entrust My spirit". Saying this, He breathed His last. When the centurion saw what
happened, he began to glorify God, saying, "This man really was
righteous!". Luke 23:46-47
The war was over, and the
combatants met to sign the documents of peace.
The man in blue was the victor, and the man in gray was the
vanquished. Robert E. Lee was never
again to lead an army or organize the forces of war. His days on the battlefield
were over. His men had fought valiantly
and lost, and it was his duty to relinquish his command and submit to the
Northern Army.
General Lee could have easily been
so discouraged and broken that his life would have lost its purpose and
joy. But with shoulders square and head
held high, he lived the rest of his life as he had lived before - a Christian
gentleman. He surrendered his sword at
Appomattox, but in memory he is respected and admired today as a man of honor,
integrity, and courage. In the hour of
defeat, he was not defeated.
Commander William Travis was a
great commander, too. He breathed his
last in the blood and dust of the Alamo. There he and an illustrious group of
fighters fought and died. The last
battle was lost. Their comrades died,
and the flags which flew at the end of the battle were not their flags. But today their names are written in bold
letters across the pages of legend and history.
Their greatest hour was the hour of apparent defeat.
On a hill beyond the grim walls of
Jerusalem men stood looking at their adversary.
Matthew records the events: In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders,
mocked Him and said, "He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! He is
the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe
in Him. He has put His trust in God; let God rescue Him now--if He wants Him!
For He said, 'I am God's Son.'"
Matthew 27:41-43
It was a moment of triumph for them and the hour of death for Him.
Satisfaction filled their hearts at the thought that at last the
troublemaker was defeated. But the hour
of seeming defeat for the Son of man was, in reality, the hour of triumph for
the Son of God. Jesus said, Haven't you read this
Scripture: The stone that the builders rejected--this has become the
cornerstone. Mark 12:10
It is hard when we lose battles in
our lives. Defeat is not a pleasant
feeling for anyone. Failure, however, is
not final! There are many who never move
beyond the past losses in their lives.
They are individuals with labels such as divorced, fired, rejected, or
losers. They live out the remainder of
their lives in defeat. Some individuals
cannot separate what they do or have done from who they are.
Jesus came out of the grave and
reigns victorious over death. We can
also rise up from the times of defeat and loss in our lives by leaving the loss
behind and stepping out in faith to conquer the next mountain in our path. What we learn from the loss may be the very
thing we needed to know to find victory in the years ahead. So throw off the negative labels, and claim
the victory in your life that God brings to each of His children.
Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
