Champion IN Christ!

As I am learning to pursue Gold in my quest to be God's Champion, I made a tiny little adjustment in my training words. I am not going to be a Champion FOR Christ… I am going to be a Champion In Christ! That little adjustment helps me to not compartmentalize my relationship with God. I want Him to be with me in my all in all. It also helps me to stay away from religiousity and stay firmly planted in relationship! That is where I want to be… being found In Jesus! Also the major thing is that little adjustment of words helps me to focus on being dependent upon Jesus, and led by His Holy Spirit instead of the opposite… which I am prone to fall into very easily… independence and ritual! No way… if I want the Gold… it has to Jesus-N-Me all the way baby!!!

 

IN PURSUIT OF GLORY-GOLD!

When I think about being a "Champion For Christ", the word Champion takes me back to when I was training to be a gymnast. I trained for 9 years of my life to be a champion athlete, so I know the concept of discipline, I know it backwards and forwards!!! This is different, becoming a Champion IN Christ and training, submitting my whole body, soul, mind, will and spirit to Him. The main difference is that when I trained to be a gymnast, it was all about me and I had to make it happen by myself and for myself. The gold medal that I strived so hard for, it tarnished. I don't train alone as I strive to be a Champion In Christ and the Gold that I train for, the Gold that I pursue, is not corruptible; in fact it becomes a Glory that shines from here until forever in unending relationship.

 

INDEPENDENCE TO DEPENDENCE!

I am in a relationship with Jesus and I train to run my race that way… connected in love, hope and joy with Him. I am never alone, always with Him. It is one of my disciplines as I train as His Champion to Practice His Presence, to push myself past my human independence to dependence upon Him.

 

TRAINING IN RELATIONSHIP NOT RITUALS

When I was training as a gymnast, I had various instructors for every aspect of becoming a world class gymnast balanced in technical and artistic skills. My training was centered from my will and it was a very ritualistic training, repeating every day the same workout routines and then adding new tricks to learn and perfect. Now I have a kind of three in one Coach. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit and I am related to them by choice, theirs and then mine and through this relationship, my training is anything but ritualistic. I never know what each day will bring, I just come and wait, knowing that my Coach is always with me and will guide me, equip me, prepare me and run the race ahead of me, being my Champion pacesetter!

 

I follow after my Coach, I gleam from Jesus and have a passion of being just like Him because He has already run this race and won… GOLD… imperishable and eternal. My heart is not engaged in my training as much as it is engaged in Him and out of this relationship connection, I passionately pursue His Championship Gold. I don't want the GOLD that does not last, I want the real GOLD and I find that my pursuit of it is found in my relationship with the Champion, Jesus Christ! I am His athlete and my training is balanced between the pursuit of Him, gaining more of His character, His life, His purposes, His will and less of mine. My training as I pursue Gold is a real adventure as I experience the possibility that I have in Him and realize His purposes of my Pursuit of Gold. I realized this: A REAL CHAMPION TRAINS, RUNS AND GOES WITH GOD… ALWAYS AND EVER!