WHEN EVERYTHING IS ON THE LINE
Last night I was watching an old video of one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world.
The great fighter’s opponent was landing devastating blows to the great fighter’s body and head that had him reeling on wobbly legs. It looked like He was about to be laid out flat and unconscious on the canvas. One more left hook to the head and the great fighter went down; however, he wasn’t laid out flat and unconscious but rose, struggled to his feet, grabbed onto his opponent, and was able to tie the guy up while regaining his balance, his bearings, and strength. Then, gathering every ounce of determination and strength in his spirit and his huge body, he unleashed a series of blows that flattened his opponent to win the championship.
The amazing struggle to get up off the canvas and pull everything in him together and attack, not run, not quit, but lay his opponent low brought back a huge life-threatening battle of my own where my life hung in the balance – a contest, a battle that I’m sure my soul had brought me to where I needed to decide whether or not I believed in God, life, and myself — I was holding out against God’s existence by my standards, I wanted hard proof by the world’s standard’s that He existed.
I had been trying for years to force God into proving Himself to me; waging this battle with God, I had become a hard-core alcoholic and addict to buy some measure of peace and rest in my demon-haunted nights, but now, finally, time had run out, I had to stand on my weak wabbly legs more dead than alive, and in true faith reach for the hem of Christ’s robe, and after many years of moral decay and debauchery surrender to the Father and the Son.
I, after many years, with the help of God lunged straight into the face of my opponent. It was the do-or-die round for me where after thirty-six years, by the grace of God, I am winning one day at a time and if I hold strong day by day to the final bell I will, by God’s truth, have won the battle. I will be God’s champion and will for all eternity be a champion for God, Christ, and all the souls of the Body of Christ. I will know love, life, and joy beyond measure. Praise be to God.