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.
Scripture
to Claim:
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)
