Trophies on Display
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
Our little Kansas town decided to have a festival one year.
A lot of planning that went into that festival. A parade was planned. Food booths were planned. Events and contests were scheduled. I was most interested in the contests. I competed in the bike races and the nail driving contest. In fact, I won the nail driving contest in my age group. The winner received a brand-new claw hammer that I still have somewhere in my garage.
However, the thing that gave me the most pride was a first-place ribbon that I keep in a scrap book.
It was a first-place ribbon for the watermelon eating contest. Each contestant was given a large piece of watermelon. It was placed on the table in front of each of us. The contest was to see how fast you could eat the watermelon. Once we were all in position, the countdown started.
On your mark. Get Set. Go!
I inhaled that piece of watermelon! I’m not sure what the time was, but I do know that it wasn’t even close. I looked at the other contestants and watched for at least 30 seconds before anyone else was done. My name was announced as the winner and the first-place ribbon was mine.
My mother was a bit embarrassed with how fast I could eat that watermelon. However, she did have a sparkle in her eye when she saw my first-place ribbon.
Do you have a ribbon or trophy story? Maybe you are like many—dare I say most—that can say they have not won a trophy, ribbon, or any contest of any kind.
Maybe you should consider that you are the trophy.
Recently I came across a quote. It describes the triumphal entry of Jesus right before his crucifixion. Notice what the people were called who accompanied Jesus into the city.
But about the Saviour were the glorious trophies of His labors of love for sinful man. These were the captives whom He had rescued from Satan’s power, praising God for their deliverance.
Isn’t that awesome! We don’t need first place ribbons or trophies. We are the trophies. Revelation 1:6 says that Jesus has made us kings and priests. Can you imagine that parade into the kingdom when Jesus comes? It isn’t a parade towards the cross. It is a parade because of the cross. It isn’t a parade towards a tomb. It is a parade because of an empty tomb. It is a parade with Jesus at the head with each of us being his first-place trophies.
Let’s all be there!
Let’s invite our neighbors to be there. Let’s pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our world so that heaven will be full!