OUR VICTORY MARCH
“Now thanks be unto God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Apparently the Apostle Paul had been a spectator at one or more of the parades marking the victory of Roman armies over barbarian attacks. These were quite impressive to him, and he used the memory of them to provide an illustration of the victorious Christian life.
He expresses his thanks to the Lord, using a word for thanks which embraces the idea of grace. This indicates that the victory he describes is a gift and not something to be earned or merited.
As he develops the picture of a victory march, he declares that the spiritual march differs from the military in that it is to be continuous. He pictures the conquering general either riding in a chariot or marching at the head of his troops. He is preceded by people carrying incense pots. Behind the general would be a line of prisoners, probably chained to one another. These would be followed by the army.
In the illustration, Jesus Christ is the conqueror who leads His people in a victory march into their home city. It is possible to consider believers either as conquered captives constrained by his love (see 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Romans 6:16-17) or members of His army (see 2 Timothy 2:3).
Whether prisoner or soldier, we shall bear the fragrance of victory like the marchers whose clothing retained the odor of the incense. As believer take the position of following in close association with the victorious Christ, the aroma of the knowledge of Him will be diffused from their lives wherever they go. Pastor William A. Raws is the grandson on our founder, and served for 51 years at America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: Jeremiah 1-3; Psalm 23; Proverbs 27
Compass Pointers: The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past - we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude - I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you - we are in charge of our attitudes. Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 30:5-6; Level 2: Proverbs 30:5-9
Anchored to the Rock: I have to hurry all day to get time to pray. Martin Luther
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