Victory and Justice
A bent man stands slowly as Great Britain's greatest applaud. Pained, weary, and almost beaten, William Wilberforce acknowledges the recognition of his sacrifice, as the slave trade crumbles before his misted eyes. Sweet victory. Right wins over wrong. The suffering are comforted.
The bulldog with a cigar and undying determination stands before his bomb-shattered people, promising that evil will not win on his watch. He tells them, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." He never, never, never gave up.
The grim and stately president commands a defiant empire, "Tear down that wall." And the barrier is torn by the hands of the freed. Evil dies a little more.
Right and wrong. Truth and lies. Light and dark.
I'm writing tonight to tell you that I believe in standing up for what is right. I believe that there is a reward for those who sacrifice for the morals and ideals they hold dear. I believe that truth does win. Do I see that today? Not much.
What I see today is a faltering nation consumed with hypnotic talking points and merry-go-round opinions. I see people who are more afraid of hurting someone's preferential opinions than speaking truth in love. I see truth dying with hundreds of thousands of bleeding broken Christians, whose lifeless bodies are ignored by those who claim the same name.
I see a darkened world where evil is winning. At least that's how it seems.
And yet. And yet every day more die while crying Christ's name. I hear of slaughtered reputations of upstanding men who stand for something. I see people standing up and challenging the lies of governments, of churches, of society, of their neighbors. They all fall down.
Why do I believe in the dying side?
Because I believe that sacrificing present comforts for future benefits is the mark of a conqueror.
I know that there is defeat before victory. Defeat that births determination. Determination that leads to victory.
My friends, I'm writing to tell you tonight that we live in a time when defeat is expected. I do not believe we will see truth triumph again before we see our Savior returning to claim His children.
But we fight on, surrounded and outnumbered. Because the reward outweighs the cost.
Will you join the battered banner?
The bulldog with a cigar and undying determination stands before his bomb-shattered people, promising that evil will not win on his watch. He tells them, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." He never, never, never gave up.
The grim and stately president commands a defiant empire, "Tear down that wall." And the barrier is torn by the hands of the freed. Evil dies a little more.
Right and wrong. Truth and lies. Light and dark.
I'm writing tonight to tell you that I believe in standing up for what is right. I believe that there is a reward for those who sacrifice for the morals and ideals they hold dear. I believe that truth does win. Do I see that today? Not much.
What I see today is a faltering nation consumed with hypnotic talking points and merry-go-round opinions. I see people who are more afraid of hurting someone's preferential opinions than speaking truth in love. I see truth dying with hundreds of thousands of bleeding broken Christians, whose lifeless bodies are ignored by those who claim the same name.
I see a darkened world where evil is winning. At least that's how it seems.
And yet. And yet every day more die while crying Christ's name. I hear of slaughtered reputations of upstanding men who stand for something. I see people standing up and challenging the lies of governments, of churches, of society, of their neighbors. They all fall down.
Why do I believe in the dying side?
Because I believe that sacrificing present comforts for future benefits is the mark of a conqueror.
I know that there is defeat before victory. Defeat that births determination. Determination that leads to victory.
My friends, I'm writing to tell you tonight that we live in a time when defeat is expected. I do not believe we will see truth triumph again before we see our Savior returning to claim His children.
But we fight on, surrounded and outnumbered. Because the reward outweighs the cost.
Will you join the battered banner?
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