Winners Passionately Surrender
Winners Passionately Surrender
Winners Passionately Surrender
Winners Passionately Surrender
This title may sound contradictory, but I challenge you to find a wining athlete from the recent Tokyo Olympics who was not so passionate about what they were doing that they did not surrender things many of us would consider basic needs.
This title may sound contradictory, but I challenge you to find a winning athlete from the recent Tokyo Olympics who was not so passionate about what they were doing that they did not surrender things many of us would consider basic needs.
Paul Chilemo is a picture of this as he raced in the 5,000 meter men’s final with such passion and effort that he surrendered his body in order to win bronze. In that moment he lived out his motto of “Go Hard or Suffer the Rest of Your Life.”
Allyson Felix, the all-time most decorated U.S. Olympic track athlete, exemplifies passionate surrender. Felix won her 10th and 11th Olympic medals in Tokyo. She surrendered life as a mom and time with her daughter to pursue the joy of winning and to be an advocate for female athletes and better medical treatment for black women.
Able To Count The Cost
Many of these world class athletes are able to quantify the cost of their passionate pursuits. In the early 2000s, I heard Lance Armstrong deliver a talk to our company about winning and beating cancer. He knew the exact time it would cost him if he indulged in a beer or a piece of cake six months before a race. He was able to calculate what those less than ideal calories would do to the next morning’s training session all the way to how that would impact race day. He was certainly in passionate pursuit and he ultimately surrendered much more than beer and cake to achieve his goals.
What About You?
What are you pursuing passionately and what is it costing you? You can probably think of a relationship where you gave up time with friends to be with someone you loved. You can probably also think about times in your career when you sacrificed time with your family or financial resources to passionately purse a career goal. If you are like me, you can look back and see times when you pursued the wrong relationships or career goals at a cost you did not intend. You will likely also be able to see that some sacrifices were absolutely worth what you passionately pursued. Wisdom is learning from life experience to know what to pursue next.
Passion That Leads To Victory
God’s word is completely relevant to this subject. The Bible holds strong warnings on pursuing selfish passions that lead to failure and death. “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). God’s word in the book of James tells us the reason we do not have what we need is because we do not ask for the right things or with the right motives. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? …You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3).
When we look more closely at scripture we see that passion is not bad. God is passionate for us. He loved us so much that He gave His only son (John 3:16) so that we could live forever. Jesus has passion for you and He came to earth to pursue us. “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Make sure you are passionate about something that lasts forever. Make sure you are passionate about God above all else (Matthew 22:37-40). John Piper says, “God offers himself to us as the infinitely valuable, infinitely beautiful, all-satisfying treasure of the universe for our full and everlasting enjoyment.” Piper encourages us to pursue God with great passion in his message, Live For Your Greatest Desire, saying, “I would persuade you to give yourself no rest until Jesus — personally precious, and globally famous — is your supreme desire.” When we focus our passionate pursuit in the right place we can be sure of victory that lasts forever. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
Surrendering That Leads to Victory
Just as Lance Armstrong could count what surrendering calories did for his pursuit of Tour De France victories and just as Allyson Felix understands the cost of surrendering time with her daughter for her worthy pursuits, Jesus who is worth all of our passion and pursuit tells his followers to consider the cost of following Him.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.' “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” - Luke 14:28-33
Do The Math
Yes, God gave us math and wants us to use it as we consider our goals and how we should pursue them. How long is what you are currently pursuing going to last? How much is it helping you know and worship God better? How does it use the gifts God has given you and how much will it point others to know Christ?
Pursue with great passion the God who made you in His image (Genesis 1:26) and sent His son to rescue you (John 3:16) and desires to be one with you forever (John 17:11). You will find that it’s worth surrendering all you have (Matthew 13:44).
Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin appears to understand this well, “Let me start off by saying, what an honor it is to be able to represent not only my country, but also the kingdom of God. What I have in Christ is far greater than what I have or don’t have in life. I pray my journey may be a clear depiction of submission and obedience to God. Even when it doesn’t make sense, even when it doesn’t seem possible. He will make a way out of no way. Not for my own gratification, but for His glory. I have never seen God fail in my life. In anyone’s life for that matter.”
This article is part of our series on winning.
Winners are gifted people who are focused on specific goals that they pursue with relentless passion, intentional discipline and detailed preparation. Confident in the outcome, they understand the cost of their pursuit and humbly surrender that which is not necessary to the mission as they look forward to their reward.
7 Attributes Of Winners
The Bible has a lot to say about winning including what it takes to compete and finish in victory. Here are seven attributes of winners with links to the articles already written to guide you on the path to victory:
- Gifted - possess specific talents and abilities (See Talent Use It Or Lose It) “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Peter 4:10-11.
- Focused - goal oriented, with vision to see possibilities (See The Gift Of Vision) “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” - Acts 2:17
- Passionate - strong desire to accomplish the mission (See Winners Passionately Surrender) “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” - Philippians 1:23
- Dependent - humility to know it can’t be done alone “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” - Philippians 2:13
- Disciplined - pursuit of goals with relentless intentionality and detailed preparation “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” - 1 Corinthians 9:25
- Surrendered - fully understanding the cost of the pursuit “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” - Luke 14:27-28
- Confident - sure of the outcome, looking forward to the reward “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:57
This title may sound contradictory, but I challenge you to find a winning athlete from the recent Tokyo Olympics who was not so passionate about what they were doing that they did not surrender things many of us would consider basic needs.
Paul Chilemo is a picture of this as he raced in the 5,000 meter men’s final with such passion and effort that he surrendered his body in order to win bronze. In that moment he lived out his motto of “Go Hard or Suffer the Rest of Your Life.”
Allyson Felix, the all-time most decorated U.S. Olympic track athlete, exemplifies passionate surrender. Felix won her 10th and 11th Olympic medals in Tokyo. She surrendered life as a mom and time with her daughter to pursue the joy of winning and to be an advocate for female athletes and better medical treatment for black women.
Able To Count The Cost
Many of these world class athletes are able to quantify the cost of their passionate pursuits. In the early 2000s, I heard Lance Armstrong deliver a talk to our company about winning and beating cancer. He knew the exact time it would cost him if he indulged in a beer or a piece of cake six months before a race. He was able to calculate what those less than ideal calories would do to the next morning’s training session all the way to how that would impact race day. He was certainly in passionate pursuit and he ultimately surrendered much more than beer and cake to achieve his goals.
What About You?
What are you pursuing passionately and what is it costing you? You can probably think of a relationship where you gave up time with friends to be with someone you loved. You can probably also think about times in your career when you sacrificed time with your family or financial resources to passionately purse a career goal. If you are like me, you can look back and see times when you pursued the wrong relationships or career goals at a cost you did not intend. You will likely also be able to see that some sacrifices were absolutely worth what you passionately pursued. Wisdom is learning from life experience to know what to pursue next.
Passion That Leads To Victory
God’s word is completely relevant to this subject. The Bible holds strong warnings on pursuing selfish passions that lead to failure and death. “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). God’s word in the book of James tells us the reason we do not have what we need is because we do not ask for the right things or with the right motives. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? …You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3).
When we look more closely at scripture we see that passion is not bad. God is passionate for us. He loved us so much that He gave His only son (John 3:16) so that we could live forever. Jesus has passion for you and He came to earth to pursue us. “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Make sure you are passionate about something that lasts forever. Make sure you are passionate about God above all else (Matthew 22:37-40). John Piper says, “God offers himself to us as the infinitely valuable, infinitely beautiful, all-satisfying treasure of the universe for our full and everlasting enjoyment.” Piper encourages us to pursue God with great passion in his message, Live For Your Greatest Desire, saying, “I would persuade you to give yourself no rest until Jesus — personally precious, and globally famous — is your supreme desire.” When we focus our passionate pursuit in the right place we can be sure of victory that lasts forever. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
Surrendering That Leads to Victory
Just as Lance Armstrong could count what surrendering calories did for his pursuit of Tour De France victories and just as Allyson Felix understands the cost of surrendering time with her daughter for her worthy pursuits, Jesus who is worth all of our passion and pursuit tells his followers to consider the cost of following Him.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.' “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” - Luke 14:28-33
Do The Math
Yes, God gave us math and wants us to use it as we consider our goals and how we should pursue them. How long is what you are currently pursuing going to last? How much is it helping you know and worship God better? How does it use the gifts God has given you and how much will it point others to know Christ?
Pursue with great passion the God who made you in His image (Genesis 1:26) and sent His son to rescue you (John 3:16) and desires to be one with you forever (John 17:11). You will find that it’s worth surrendering all you have (Matthew 13:44).
Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin appears to understand this well, “Let me start off by saying, what an honor it is to be able to represent not only my country, but also the kingdom of God. What I have in Christ is far greater than what I have or don’t have in life. I pray my journey may be a clear depiction of submission and obedience to God. Even when it doesn’t make sense, even when it doesn’t seem possible. He will make a way out of no way. Not for my own gratification, but for His glory. I have never seen God fail in my life. In anyone’s life for that matter.”
This article is part of our series on winning.
Winners are gifted people who are focused on specific goals that they pursue with relentless passion, intentional discipline and detailed preparation. Confident in the outcome, they understand the cost of their pursuit and humbly surrender that which is not necessary to the mission as they look forward to their reward.
7 Attributes Of Winners
The Bible has a lot to say about winning including what it takes to compete and finish in victory. Here are seven attributes of winners with links to the articles already written to guide you on the path to victory:
- Gifted - possess specific talents and abilities (See Talent Use It Or Lose It) “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Peter 4:10-11.
- Focused - goal oriented, with vision to see possibilities (See The Gift Of Vision) “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” - Acts 2:17
- Passionate - strong desire to accomplish the mission (See Winners Passionately Surrender) “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” - Philippians 1:23
- Dependent - humility to know it can’t be done alone “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” - Philippians 2:13
- Disciplined - pursuit of goals with relentless intentionality and detailed preparation “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” - 1 Corinthians 9:25
- Surrendered - fully understanding the cost of the pursuit “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” - Luke 14:27-28
- Confident - sure of the outcome, looking forward to the reward “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:57