The Last Battle?

12.01.11

Romans 8.37 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. NIV

What could be more than a conqueror? I was watching the tube (do we still get to call it that?) the other night and saw a commercial for Russell athleticwear and the narrator of the commercial said in one brief scene in the 30 second piece: “we are more than conquerors.” And I thought to myself what could be more than a conqueror? Sorry, my mind just works that way.

Could we be more than conquerors in that we have the victory and character? That would be a start. How about if we have the victory and never have to face another battle - like the battles are all ended; the lessons are all learnd? What constitutes more than conquering? It made me think.

Personally, I kinda lean toward the no-more-battles aspect. I mean what does a conqueror do when there are no more battles? Does he retire or does he move on to more pressing issues? Of course that begs the question, to a conqueror what is more pressing and important than the next battle? More than conquering has to include some kind of conquering doesn’t it? Or does more than conquering mean that every battle has been finally vanquished? You see, I get all weird (in my mind) when it comes to verbal concepts like: more than conquerors.

I wish I even had some clever alternative or answer to what I think more than conquering actually is. More than conquering is obviously more; I’m just having a hard time quantifying what that more looks like… I guess I’ll just have to settle for the fact that it’s more and more is indescribably better than just being an idle conqueror waiting around the next foe to conquer. You see, being more than a victor is more and I suspect infinitely more, and to me, that’s worth having. Battles are a nuisance and take up time and resources. More than anything, battles require total focus – one brief glance in the wrong direction could cost you the whole enchilada. Battles are meant to be fought and meant to be overcome but when overcome is done does more mean the next one is already won? I suppose it could happen…

So, more than conquering implies, at least to this tiny mind, that even after the last battle is won there is still more to be done; and in the doing is the use of our time, talents, and energy to focus on the everlasting horizon of opportunity and potential that stretches out infinitely before us in every direction.

Today, vocationally I wish to be more than a conqueror – I want to win the battle that I face every day on the job. You’d thing at fifty-something I’d give up the conquering thing but with each passing day and pressing agenda there are still some battles that need to be fought. Maybe more than conquering means the battles are all finally subdued – at this age and stage of life that has a very appealing ring to it…

Pardon me, I have some armor to don…