A Devotional by Dr. Dan Ivins

"When we can't lose"

Philippians 1:21-27

Americans love a winner -- in sports, politics, church, and war. But nothing stays won in this kind of world.  And that's why we need a theology of loss. We'd better learn how to lose. For live long enough and love somebody enough, sooner or later, lose we will. Then what?

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose..." wrote Christofferson. When we have nothing to lose, it's sort of liberating, I suppose he's saying. And I feel somewhat for those who have a lot; they have a lot to lose.

In our text, Paul finds himself in a "can't lose" situation. Indeed, he struggles with life and offers his philosophy: "For me to live is Christ and to die (lose) is gain." Paul's outlook had to do with winning and losing. Whether he lived or died, he could not lose. Sounds like the lyrics of "Bobby McGee," doesn't it?

Paul was in a win/win situation. Life was complex enough for Paul for him to be "torn between the two," but "whether he remains or leaves this world," he cannot lose! Can you imagine that?  We should be able to because we have the same sources of hope as Paul: prayer, God's presence, and a positive philosophy of life. Whether he went to heaven or stayed on earth, Paul believed he couldn't lose because Christ was first in his life. To me, he said, "To live is Christ!"

What do you say? For me to live is_______________. Pray that you will be able to "seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). Anybody who can do that, can not lose.