“The Margin of Victory”

The margin of victory… the difference between the champion and the runner up….. it’s often “razor thin”. The ball rims out as the buzzer sounds… one team is elated, while the other is heartbroken ….. after maybe 7 games totaling almost 6 hours, the game is decided by one shot. Wow.

Many have heard of Usain Bolt who ranks as the fastest runner in the world with a record 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter sprint. The next fastest runner is Tyson Gay at 9.69 seconds…. Number 10 is Richard Thompson at 9.82 seconds. So, Usain was  0.11 seconds faster than Gay at number 2. Try measuring 0.11 seconds…it’s almost infinitesimal…. the margin between the champion, “the Legend”, and the “also rans” is razor thin. Bolt is a celebrity with a net worth of 90 million dollars… the other guys are relatively unknown. Hmmmmmm.

What’s the margin of victory in our race toward heaven. Well, we’re not racing against Usain Bolt or anyone else in our race toward heaven… we’re really racing against ourselves. God’s plan is for all to make it to heaven. ^“For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17) But we must accept the great invitation from Christ.

But in this race, is there a “razor thin margin” of victory? Do we have to wait for the last shot at the buzzer? No, in truth Christ has already won the victory…it’s completed. He’s conquered death and Satan, and sin… we have no reason to fear. He’s won the victory. We just need to accept the free gift of salvation…we just need to say yes to Christ… yes to acknowledging our sins, accepting Christ’s forgiveness, and proclaiming Jesus as our Lord… allowing Almighty God to call the shots. He will help us and show us the way. We have no more reason to fear. We don’t have to await the final buzzer.

With Christ at our side, we will hit that tape at “under 9 seconds”, leaving the devil in the dust. And that is very good news.