Never Forfeit

Upon arriving at the baseball field today after two weeks off due to rain, we were met by a member of the opposite side with bad news:  since the other team only had five players available, they had to forfeit the game.  We were all disappointed.  I suppose we would rather play and lose the game then prepare to play, drive out to the field only to be told there was no game.  A win's a win, but that kind of winning isn't much fun.

I thought about the five people on the other side who could have played the game but couldn't because they didn't have the support from their teammates.  I felt for them.  I'm sure they all wanted to play, even the people who were unavailable.  Who knows?  Had they been able to field a team - even of seven or eight - they could have won!  To forfeit is to give up without trying.  It's a waste because no effort has been exerted to win.

I started thinking about the spiritual implications of forfeiting (I have odd thought patterns, I guess).  Is it possible to be a Christian who forfeits?  Can we run up the white flag of surrender when the enemy assaults us even though we have absolute certainty of victory through Jesus Christ?  It's a poor analogy, but can you imagine having the best professional players to ever play baseball on your side against a mediocre group of weekend warriors who can't even run to first base without taking a smoke break?  It wouldn't be great competition, but it would be a blast to play with legends of the game.  It doesn't matter if your players are the best on paper, have an undefeated record, and you're playing against people who have never even played baseball before:  if you don't show up, you forfeit.  By not coming to the field, the team has given up.  When you forfeit, you can lose without a single pitch being thrown!

When it comes to victory against sin, despair, and fear, Jesus Christ has already claimed the victory.  But when Satan rages against us, when temptation overwhelms our minds and pressure to cave seems impossible to resist, we can choose as Christians to forfeit.  Why should we give up when Jesus has already defeated sin and death?  Should we wave the white flag because the opposition looks intimidating or we have made an error?  Never!  We win when we commit ourselves to be at Christ's disposal.  Hand Him the ball, and watch Him work.  Always surrender to Christ, but never forfeit.  Too much is at stake to give up.  Let's not waste the opportunities Christ provides to walk in victory!  Let's not deny Christ the victory He has won.