Who is it that overcomes the world?

I really didn't have a specific blog topic to post when I sat down, just thought I'd write something since it's been a while. After I got into it, some things that were on my mind started to flow out though my finger tips and a subject emerged. The next two paragraphs are what I wrote before the thoughts started flowing but I decided to leave them here anyway. I had to include this photo of our dogwood tree, it has been extremely beautiful this year and I have just felt like it was a gift from God because last year a late frost shut it down.

Things are OK although work is very slow. I'm trying not to panic, things are generally slow in the consulting world. Companies have permitted plant managers to eliminate all but mandatory training requirements for example and recruiting is down because most are under a hiring freeze.

I feel this "down" time is from God and has given me a good deal of time to spend with him. I'm trusting that whatever his plan is, it will become obvious on his timetable not mine. This is always the hardest thing, to wait upon the Lord and trust that he has your back.

Here's the part that relates to the title "Who is it that overcomes the world?" That's actually a quote from 1 Jn 5:5a. My scripture reading has been in first John lately. John speaks of the love of God and the fact that we have the ability to overcome the world if we are obedient and faithful. That got me thinking about the term "overcome", what does it mean to overcome the world? We're told not to be fearful of the world because Jesus has overcome the world (Jn 16:33) but, what does that mean?

We know there was plenty wrong with the world when Jesus was born. The Romans ruled with a heavy hand, most Jews lived in poverty with little hope of things getting better. If you haven't seen the movie "The Nativity Story", watch it to get a feel for the struggles they had. Even beyond the repression of the Roman Government, the "world" represented corruption, death, deceit, murder, greed and all manner of sinful behavior.

Well, we know Jesus didn't overcome the world in the way some of his followers wanted him to at the time. They wanted him to lead a rebellion and overthrow the Romans. So, if he didn't overcome the world physically through military or political power, it must mean he overcame it spiritually. Overcoming something spiritually is not defeating it but living over it somehow.

I'm not sure what that means exactly but I think it has something to do with what Paul tells us about things which are unseen being actually more important than things which are seen. If that is true then it isn't so much about how we live before men but how we live before God.

I'm not suggesting it is unimportant how we live before men but I think it is far less important than most of us think and act like it is. When the way we live before God - our spiritual life - overflows into our physical life, we "overcome". We aren't intentionally trying to change the world or defeat it, we just live above it and when we do that, we can't help but change things and people.

When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven, He said it belonged to the poor in spirit and the persecuted. If it could be earned by the religious powerhouses, the movers and shakers or the world changes, why didn't Jesus say that. He said, it belongs to those who are poor in spirit, those who are persecuted for doing the right things, the weak and helpless not the strong and powerful. People who live as though they care more about what is unseen than what is seen, look like loser to the rest of the world.

Who is it that overcomes the world? "Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (Jn 5:5b).