In October of 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the N.Y. Mets in game 7 of the National League Championship series, IN NEW YORK! This was largely because of a man named Jeff Suppan. Suppan is a pitcher for the Cardinals, and he pitched so well in the seventh game (as well as in an earlier game the Cardinals won) that he was voted the MVP of the series. Now, when he got this award, was he the only one celebrating? NO. The whole team was celebrating, because they knew that by his strength, he helped the team to victory, and into the World Series! Even though he was the MVP, it was considered a team effort.
Jesus is our MVP, because He is the one who makes victory possible. But we are ALL a part of the winning team! Through faith in Christ we have access to the power of God which enables us to overcome temptation and evil. Through faith in Christ we have the understanding we need to live life with fullness and depth and meaning.
As I close this series, I want to pose these questions: What settings are you in when you fall? Avoid them. What props do you have that support your sin? Eliminate them. What people are you usually with? Stay clear of them. There are two equally damning lies Satan wants us to believe: 1) Just once won't hurt. 2) Now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond God's use, and might as well enjoy sinning. As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said: "Learn to say no. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin." Now you might never thought that knowing Latin would be important, but in Spurgeon's time it was important. The point is, as we trust ourselves to Jesus Christ, He will help us to say “NO,” and that is greatly important. The Lord's Prayer should give us renewed hope that we can know God, live out the "Kingdom of God" here on earth, have our basic needs provided, and overcome temptation and evil, this day and every day, as we follow our savior and Lord Jesus.
