A LAST PLACE WINNER

Read Matthew Chapters 19-21

Key Verse: Matthew 19:30
“But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

I have mellowed some now, but when I was much younger, I absolutely hated to lose at anything. Some of the biggest arguments that I have ever had with friends have been over a game or competition. Whether on the baseball field, at the bowling alley, or at the kitchen table playing monopoly, I was “in it to win it”. I guess it’s normal. Society rarely remembers those who finish second. Can you tell me who lost to the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII? How about who lost to the New York Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals? It would even be more difficult to tell me who was the worst team in the NBA in 1973. Society rarely remembers the losers.

Isn’t it interesting how often spiritual principles stand in direct contrast to worldly principles? For example, the bible teaches us that our strength is made perfect in weakness. I am reminded of the story of Lazarus the beggar in Luke 16. In his life, he surely didn’t seem to be a winner; begging for crumbs from the rich man’s table. But we are taught that he was honored above the rich man due to the condition of his heart.

I remember being a teenager and seeing something that, at the time, seemed a little silly. But as the years have passed, this moment has meant more and more to me. We were at church during a special southern gospel singing. The group that was singing began to sing a song entitled, “I’m a Poor, Rich Man”. The song spoke of how it was Christ living within us that truly makes us rich. My father who, at the time, was on crutches got so excited in worshipping to that song that he rose to his feet, with a broken ankle, and began to rejoice. It was a wild sight indeed. I have never forgotten that moment. It has helped me to understand that there are more important things in life than the size of my house or my bank account. That moment has left me desiring an inner richness that I can only have through a relationship with Christ Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong. I still like to win. I still want a great life full of great things. But I realize today that neither my possessions nor my position make me rich where it matters most. In life, we can work so hard to get ahead, to be first. But the Kingdom of God is about the humility of heart and spirit. It is about intimate love and worship to God. Those who value God and others more than themselves will be first. Society may label some as “losers”. But I am thankful today that God remembers the so-called “losers”. He promises a first-place finish to those who remain humble and true to Him.