A True Contender

As imperfect human beings who are required to fight for God in the faith, it is our unquestionable duty to be contenders in every situation in which the Lord places us. In the bible, we hear the word “contend” coming back again and again. When we look at this word in context, we see that to contend is an absolute must and if we do not practice it, we will be vulnerable to the evils of this world.
After the fall into sin, man fell further and further into temptation. Man became so wicked and corrupted that God regretted even creating the likeness of man. He was ready to destroy man and eternally send Him to the dust. The Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years," (Genesis 6:3). Man’s obscenity became so great that finally God told Noah, the only faithful human being on the face of the earth to build the ark, and the Lord killed man by sending the flood. In this case, the word contend refers to the Holy Spirit continually fighting against the sinful human nature and to work faith in man’s heart. In Ecclesiastes 6:10 we read that no man can “contend with one who is stronger than he.” If there is someone who will continue to fight until he wins the fight, he is a contender, and nobody will be able to get in his way until he has accomplished what he has set his heart on.
The Rottweiler dog is a ferocious animal. It will fight with great intensity, and will not give up its fight till it is dead. When a Rottweiler gets in a fight and manages to bite its adversary, it will hold on with its powerful jaws till it kills its opponent or till it dies itself. By the marvelous grace of God in Jesus Christ, we receive a merciful promise of salvation, but only if we but our full trust and hope in Jesus Christ. When we hear of God’s unforgettable grace for us, we should feel goose bumps and should be eager to give up all values that we have for our faith in Christ. Just as the Rottweiler fights to win, so should we every day of our lives contend against sin and Satan being willing to die.
In October, 2003, Roy Horn, a man very closely associated with animals was nearly killed by a tiger. Roy has gone on a long, long road to recovery. He still is in very bad condition. Yet, he has something that keeps him motivated. He has set goals for himself that include being able to walk again and get back to the work that he loves. In Roy’s story, we see that in order to be a contender in any situation, you need to have very strong morals and values. Roy nearly died. Perhaps if he did not have the willpower to survive, he may have died.
If we are not contenders in the faith, our faith may die. In order to be contenders, we must first set our eyes only on Jesus. We must not look at the ‘fun’ the world keeps shoving in our face. Satan is our soul opponent. He will try very, very hard to make us slip and fall. He may do this only a little bit at a time, first starting with the ‘little sins’ that don’t seem very bad, and desensitizing our faith until we are just like the world. Yet, this is very wrong, for God says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Romans 12:2). Jesus was the ultimate contender, and we must look to him as our role model.
Jesus was man, and yet he was God. Through Jesus’ baptism we see that he was true man, and through his temptations we see that he was true God. Jesus was a true human being. He had to learn, he had to struggle against the human nature, and he was able to be tempted. Yet Jesus Christ was perfect. He never sinned. He won. He was a contender, and throughout His whole life on earth he did not give in to the evils of the human flesh. Even at the end, our Savior refused to save himself from the torment of the cross, but said, “It is finished,” (John 19:30).
In the book called The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, the concept of being a contender is explored. Alfred, a poor Negro boy has barely any hope in life. He has dropped out of school, and works at a grocery store. He is chased by a bully up to a boxing training place, where he is given the challenge to become a contender. Alfred has lots to contend for. He wants to save his friend who has been taken by drugs, and wants most of all to know that he is a contender. Alfred becomes a boxer. It is very tough, and almost quits a few times. After he almost quits, a new desire comes into him to become a contender. He fights and fights till he loses and almost gets hurt that he realizes that he already is a contender. Alfred decides to finish school and help his friend to get off drugs. Lipsyte illustrates very well what it means to be a contender.
Yet, we are people of sin. Since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, we have been known to give up the fight. It is our nature to give up rather than put work into the things that we do. In October, 2005, a girl took her life. Her dad had been taken by the police in front of her very eyes, and her dog was taken by a group of bullies. Kathleen Beardy was 11 years old. Kathleen was said to have ‘enjoyed church.’ Yet, when troubles came, Kathleen did not look to Jesus for strength, but instead despaired and gave up her life. The bullies and her father are tools that Satan used to get into Kathleen’s life. When her father died, Kathleen was very upset, as is expected. Yet, she never really got over her despair. If she had contended in the faith, she would not have blamed the policemen and would have put her trust in Jesus. When the bullies took her dog, Kathleen was in a position that Satan could take advantage of. Kathleen was broken hearted, and perhaps she had neglected God ever since her dad died. She did not trust in God, but in the forces of darkness to aid her in the taking of her own life. When we are in trouble, God wants us to read the bible and spend a lot of time in prayer in order to strengthen or to heal our faith.
Our whole lives should reflect that we are in a battle. We will have the armor of God on, which is “The belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” (Eph 6:13-17). We may have battle scars: sadness and other things that are a result of sin, yet, we must always remember to keep fighting the fight until we perish or the day of judgment comes.