Everyone I know wants to be a winner, but not everyone is. In order to define what a winner is, I think we also have to define what a loser is. A loser is a person who succeeds in everyway that doesn’t matter. Think about it.
We live in a day in time when we have more than ever before. We work more, we go more, we vacation more, we own larger homes, we’re in greater debt, and we have more technology at our disposal. But somehow we feel something is terribly wrong.
Something’s missing because winning at life is not just about getting more toys, or having the best score at the end of the game. There’s more to winning than that. As a matter of fact, Jesus said that someone who gains the whole world and loses his soul is the ultimate loser.
So what is a winner? Let me suggest this definition. It certainly helps me. A winner is someone who gives what he loves and cannot keep for something he loves more and cannot lose.
That’s exactly what Jesus did. He gave what He loved – His life; something He could not keep, for something He loved more – me and you. And because of His redemption, because of His sacrifice, He will never lose us. As a matter of fact we can never be lost because we are His. And because of His sacrifice, He is building a Kingdom. God’s will is being done on the earth. Redemption is moving forward; the revolution that is the good news of Jesus Christ that’s converting the human heart all over the world.
Jesus is the ultimate example of a winner. And that example can be summed up in one word – sacrifice. To sacrifice is to give what you love and cannot keep for something you love more and cannot lose. That makes sacrifice a positive thing.
Winners know how to sacrifice. Losers make life all about them. That’s why they lose.