Conqueror
No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37
Words are very dear to me. I love them. It’s a great day when I learn a new word or hear an exceptional turn of phrase. One of my favorite words is conquer, in all its forms. Think about it. Better yet, say it. Then say conquering, conqueror. Can you feel that? The words even sound strong. They sound imposing. I was listening to one of my favorite songs the other day and realized that part of the reason I like it is because in the chorus Jesus is referred to as the conqueror and later the singer talks about being a conqueror because of Christ. Love it!
Some words are strong and some are gentle. Think of the ways in which people describe Jesus. He is love, mercy, grace and comfort. All lovely sweet words that sound pleasant because they are. Of course Jesus would be seen as pleasant. But then again, there are words like conqueror, defender, victor and those words don’t sound so sweet and mild. Put together the sweet words and the strong ones and we have a pretty apt description of Jesus.
In the Bible we are instructed to lean on the understanding of God not on our own thoughts. (Proverbs 3:5) We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) Over and over again in every book of the Bible there is some caveat about the way we should live. That might sound pretty terrifying, if it weren’t for the fact that living as God intends, is what makes us conquerors. What’s more, we are not expected to do it alone. God in his infinite mercy has provided the Holy Spirit for us, to lead and guide us through this life into the next.
The Holy Spirit is also called the Paraclete, meaning intercessor. The words comforter, helper and counselor are also associated with the Holy Spirit. The idea of wind is used to describe the movements of the Spirit. In the Bible the Spirit breathes on the apostles. That sounds pretty delicate but just last week tornadoes caused massive damage and destruction in the United States. That wind was not delicate. Wind can have a conquering quality too.
In Jesus we are conquerors through the power of the Holy Spirit, a gift given to us by our heavenly Father. Looking at the Trinity, at the ideas of who and what God created us to be and do, there are all kinds of words and ideas like conqueror, that can build us up when we realize the smallness, the frailness, of our human condition. That is where the not leaning on our own understanding comes in, I suppose.
Today be a conqueror, vanquish a foe, even if that foe is as simple a thing as a bad habit. In Christ we can do all things (Philippians 4:13) and with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts we should call on that power to succeed.
Words are very dear to me. I love them. It’s a great day when I learn a new word or hear an exceptional turn of phrase. One of my favorite words is conquer, in all its forms. Think about it. Better yet, say it. Then say conquering, conqueror. Can you feel that? The words even sound strong. They sound imposing. I was listening to one of my favorite songs the other day and realized that part of the reason I like it is because in the chorus Jesus is referred to as the conqueror and later the singer talks about being a conqueror because of Christ. Love it!
Some words are strong and some are gentle. Think of the ways in which people describe Jesus. He is love, mercy, grace and comfort. All lovely sweet words that sound pleasant because they are. Of course Jesus would be seen as pleasant. But then again, there are words like conqueror, defender, victor and those words don’t sound so sweet and mild. Put together the sweet words and the strong ones and we have a pretty apt description of Jesus.
In the Bible we are instructed to lean on the understanding of God not on our own thoughts. (Proverbs 3:5) We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) Over and over again in every book of the Bible there is some caveat about the way we should live. That might sound pretty terrifying, if it weren’t for the fact that living as God intends, is what makes us conquerors. What’s more, we are not expected to do it alone. God in his infinite mercy has provided the Holy Spirit for us, to lead and guide us through this life into the next.
The Holy Spirit is also called the Paraclete, meaning intercessor. The words comforter, helper and counselor are also associated with the Holy Spirit. The idea of wind is used to describe the movements of the Spirit. In the Bible the Spirit breathes on the apostles. That sounds pretty delicate but just last week tornadoes caused massive damage and destruction in the United States. That wind was not delicate. Wind can have a conquering quality too.
In Jesus we are conquerors through the power of the Holy Spirit, a gift given to us by our heavenly Father. Looking at the Trinity, at the ideas of who and what God created us to be and do, there are all kinds of words and ideas like conqueror, that can build us up when we realize the smallness, the frailness, of our human condition. That is where the not leaning on our own understanding comes in, I suppose.
Today be a conqueror, vanquish a foe, even if that foe is as simple a thing as a bad habit. In Christ we can do all things (Philippians 4:13) and with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts we should call on that power to succeed.
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