ALREADY SETTLED
I love watching soccer, and I am a fan of the Liverpool Football Club in
England’s Premier League. When the Reds are playing, it is an anxiety-filled
experience for me. Because one goal or one misplay can change the game’s
outcome, I feel a constant tension as I watch. That is part of what makes the
games enjoyable. Recently, though, I saw a tape-delayed replay of one of
Liverpool’s games. I was surprised how much calmer I felt seeing the replay.
Why? Because I already knew the outcome, and as a result I was able to relax
and enjoy the action.
Life is often like observing live sporting events. There are shocks and
surprises, frustrations and fears, because we are unsure of the outcome.
Followers of Christ can draw comfort, however, from the fact that though many
of life’s situations are uncertain, our eternal outcome is settled by the work
of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The apostle John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1
John 5:13). Life may present us with surprises along the way, but because of
Christ’s work we can have peace. He has already settled our eternal outcome.
Peace rules the day when God rules the heart. (RBC)
