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Too often, we think of eternal life as beginning in heaven. Our eternal life, however, has already begun. It is here and now. Furthermore, Zoe refers to a quality of life as well as quantity or a forever length of life.
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, is famous for saying, “Winning isn’t everything-it’s the only thing.”

That was definitely my philosophy when I was growing up. And I believe most people in our society have this same attitude - secular society, that is. Many Christians, unfortunately, have been conditioned to believe that winning is unimportant and even unbiblical!

But the truth is that God created you to win, not just spiritually but financially, professionally, relationally, and in every other are of life. In fact, if you’re not at least in the process of becoming that kind of winner, you’re not fulfilling God’s whole purpose for your life. And you’re missing out on the contentment and sense of fulfillment God wants you to have. Strong words, I know, but I can back them up. 

Look what God says in Genesis 1:26:
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in His own image…

God is a winner, is He not? If man was made in God’s image and likeness, then redeemed man must be designed to be a winner, too. In fact, after God made Adam and Eve, He commanded them to go win! Look at the very next verse, Genesis 1:28:
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. (Ps. 8:4-5)
The translators of the King James Bible wrongly translated the phrase “a little lower than the angels.” The word angels is actually the Hebrew word Elohim and it is a Hebrew word for God. The New American Standard gets it right; “Yet thou hast made him a little lower than God…” God meant for you to be in a position of authority. Sadly, very few believers are actually living that way.

Many Christians have been deceived into thinking that a “losing” lifestyle makes them more spiritual. But let me tell you, there’s nothing noble about losing. It will leave you frustrated, unfulfilled and, perhaps worst of all, totally ineffectual as a witness.

Let’s face it, the world is not going to be influenced by a bunch of losers. Until you and I start moving into the realm of the winner, our influence on the world will be severely limited. That doesn’t mean, however, we must adopt a worldly, cutthroat, win-at-any-cost mentality. In fact, winning for the believer has quite a different meaning.

God’s Concept of Winning
According to the world’s way of thinking, when someone wins, it means everyone else has to lose. It is an exclusive mentality, and it also implies the domination of others. But God’s concept of winning is different.

First of all, it is not exclusive. There is room at the top for everyone in God’s system of winning. Secondly, instead of dominating people, a godly winner dominates circumstances. That’s because in the kingdom of God “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

God’s winners realize that even though another person may seem to be behind a negative circumstance in their life, that person is not the root of the problem. They understand that God hasn’t promised them dominion over other people, but He has guaranteed them dominion over circumstances and the demonic forces behind the problem. So it’s those forces and circumstances the real winner puts under his feet.

Because it is neither exclusive nor dominative, God’s concept of winning is good news for everyone! We can all agree with Romans 8:37 and say joyfully, “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

At this point, a religious mindset often takes over and says, “Yes, I’ll be a winner someday because my reward is in heaven.” Of course, we have an eternal reward waiting for us in heaven. But God’s provision of victory applies now, to every human existence. We’ve been granted dominion here in this life, because we are “in Christ Jesus” and he said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

The power we have in Jesus makes us winners in this life! And the reward of the godly winner is victory in every area of life – health, prosperity, and relational harmony.

Walking the Winner’s Way
Okay now, let’s get practical. It’s one thing to know that God wants you to be a winner, but it’s quite another thing to know how to become one. Philippians is a book about winning written by a winner – the apostle Paul. Though Paul experienced many difficulties in his life, he never lived under his circumstances. Instead, he lived above them and controlled them.

What is it that made Paul such an outstanding winner? How did he learn to walk the winner’s way? Look at Philippians 3:12-14:
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Look at the phrase, “…that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Paul knew he had been apprehended by God for a special purpose. Likewise, you too have a unique, divinely appointed destiny. If you want to a winner, you must purpose in your heart to pursue that divinely ordained destiny.

Paul also said, “…I count myself not to have apprehended.” In other words, “I haven’t arrived yet.” We should have this same attitude. When it comes to enjoying everything God wants you to have, you haven’t arrived yet. So don’t ever get satisfied with the states quo.

Finally, Paul goes on to say, “I press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” This is a crucial phrase. It contains four terms that represent the keys to finding and fulfilling God’s destiny for your life – “press,” “mark,” “prize,” and “high calling.”

The Press
Let’s first examine the word “press”; it means to expend maximum sustained effort. As a pastor, I continually see good Christian people who are failing in their relationships, in their finances, and in their careers. There are only two reasons for that kind of failure in the life of a believer. The first reason is misdirection. In order to be a winner, you must press toward a particular mark. Believers who press toward the wrong mark never make it to the winner’s circle. We will discuss this in a moment.

The second and perhaps most common reason believers lose is that they fail to press at all. Remember, to press means to make an all-out effort. Non-winners don’t press. They routinely fail to make maximum effort to reach their goal or they are unwilling to continue giving the amount of effort needed to win.

When you think about what makes a person press, you’ll realize it is belief. Before we’re willing to press, we must believe the effort is worth the result it is going to produce. If you don’t believe that your effort is going to be rewarded with a worthy result, you’ll never press long enough or hard enough to arrive at the goal.

This is the way God has designed us, we are motivated by rewards. The religious mindset often has a hard time with this, but believers, who consistently win don’t. They have recognized the importance of fulfilling their divine destiny and believe it is a high calling. But they also realize it comes with a prize worth pressing for!

The Prize of the High Calling
What is the prize of the high calling of God? In a nutshell, it is life – eternal life! The Greek word the New Testament uses to describe this kind of life is Zoe. It’s a word that refers to the very life of God Himself. And God’s Word says you have that life inside you if you’re born-again believer.

Too often, we think of eternal life as beginning in heaven. Our eternal life, however, has already begun. It is here and now. Furthermore, Zoe refers to a quality of life as well as quantity or a forever length of life. It literally means: life as God has it. Does God experience sickness, poverty, strife-filled relationships, unforgiveness, or bitterness? Of course not.

Zoe life is the prize Paul is talking about. It is the prize God has made available to us, not just in heaven but right here on earth. It can be ours now! (1 Timothy 4:8)

To really experience the fullness of Zoe life this side of heaven, you’ll have to lay hold to God’s high calling. It’s different for each of us. Basically, your high calling in God’s perfect will for your life. It is your divine destiny and it touches every area of your existence – your vocation, your relationships, your health, your physical well-being, and your material wealth as well.

God’s high calling is a wonderful place to be. It is a place of all-sufficiency. It is a place of great influence. It is a place of supernatural and harmonious relationships. It is a prize worth pressing toward, but in order to arrive, you must direct your press toward the right mark.

The Mark
In many respects, the concept of the mark is the most important of all the keys found in this passage. Did you notice that Paul didn’t say, “I press toward the prize.” Nor did he say he was pressing toward the high calling. The prize is his motivation but it is the mark that he sets his sights on. I define the mark as an intermediate goal or objective, and if you’ll focus on and move toward it, it will keep you on course.

Let me illustrate the importance of the mark with the example of bowling. If you know anything abut bowling, you know that each lane has on it a series of marks that lie just a few feet in front of the bowler. Good bowlers don’t aim at the pins – they focus their aim on the marks.

In essence, that’s what Paul meant when he talked about pressing toward those intermediate “marks” to obtain the “high calling of God.” The dream that God has placed in your heart may not be well defined enough for you to know what to do next. But praise God, His Word has given a mark you can press toward. As you do, ultimately God’s dream or high calling for you will come into view.

The Winner’s Mark
What is this mark that we must press toward? In a word, it is servanthood. Remember when the disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest? Jesus told them that the greatest among them was he who would be the servant of all. Later, He demonstrated that principle by washing their feet. (Matthew 18)

Service is the key to becoming a winner. It’s the mark by which we should measure our every decision, every action, and every thought. When you begin serving with your money (in other words, giving), you’ll soon find yourself winning in the area of finances. Start serving in the area of relationships (loving), and you’ll soon reap a winning harvest of love in your own life.

The same principle applies to any and every area of your existence. The more you press toward the mark of service, the more you’ll find yourself moving into God’s marvelous Zoe life, because servanthood releases the very power of God in your life.

As you press toward the mark of servanthood, the power of God will open doors of opportunity you never dreamed existed. He’ll exalt you and give you visibility and influence in your community. He’ll keep on propelling you toward your dream until one day, you’ll look around and find that you’ve arrived at the high calling of God for your life.

The Starting Line
The kind of service that will put you in the winner’s circle falls into two categories: service to those who have not yet received Jesus as their Lord and service to the body of Christ. You serve in the truest sense of the word when you make yourself available to the Holy Spirit to minister the saving Word to sinners and cleansing Word to saints.

Of course, the primary platform for accomplishing both of these has been and always will be the local church. There are also many God-ordained ministries reaching out to people around the world. Both of these need committed people who will serve the vision with their time, talent, and resources it they are going to accomplish what God has called them to do.

Your faithfulness and obedience to press toward the mark of serventhood in these two arenas is the starting line for walking the winner’s way. It has a direct connection to your experience of God’s abundant provision in your own life, so take a step and start serving.

When you do, you can be sure you’re moving toward the mark that will bring you God’s highest and best. That’s the way of the winner. Continue to choose that way and the glorious prize of the high calling will be yours. You will experience what God created you to do—winning in every area of life!


Mac Hammond Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Mac Hammond
Web site: Mac Hammond
 
Mac Hammond is the senior pastor of Living Word, a large and growing church in Brooklyn Park (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota. He is the host of the Winner’s Minute, which is seen locally in the Minneapolis area on KMSP Channel 9 at 6:44 a.m. and 11:11 a.m. He is also the host of the Winner's Way broadcast and author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
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