I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning . . . young men, because you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:13)
Albania is definitely an underdog in many ways. It is a smaller country than most, only about a third as big as our home state of Indiana. As a second-world country, Albania is one of Europe’s poorest nations. Even in the world of soccer, this small country ranks quite low compared to the giants of the sport, so you can imagine the excitement levels when the Albanian national team qualified to play in the 2016 European Football Championship Tournament, winning a match before being eliminated. The team set a record by not giving up any away goals during the tournament, while scoring seven away goals. Albanian pride soared.
As followers of Jesus Christ, it does not matter what our past is, we are victorious! We may seem like underdogs, our foe mighty and our past riddled with defeat. But John reminded the believers of who they knew, though— “him who is from the beginning.”
Our history is not unique to us, and neither was theirs to them, but we are part of the much bigger story of God’s faithfulness and transforming power through the ages. Jesus has been at this from the beginning. John also reminded the believers that they “have overcome the evil one.” Through Christ, we are not just told to live holy lives, but we also have the power to live victorious lives—to overcome sin and live righteously!
Approach temptation with the knowledge that you are victorious!
Caryl Aukerman—wife, missionary and mother of three—has served with Global Partners in the country of Albania for over fourteen years.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
