The Underdog

L u k e 1 8 : 2 7

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

E p h e s i a n s 3 : 2 0

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT)

I’ve always loved being the underdog. Whether in a wrestling match, in preaching, or when it comes to cowboying, I love it when I surprise someone by what I can get done. Now, I’m the first to admit that I’m not the best at any of these things but, when it comes to roping and dragging calves, I have been known to have a good day every now and then. I often get invited to a ranch to take pictures of families and cowboys at work. Often times, there are new cowboys that come to help and they don’t know me from Adam. So, they naturally suspect that I’m just there to get some good pics for the mothers and wives to enjoy. But then I get asked to help drag and, much to their surprise (and mine sometimes), I’m actually able to make a hand. I remember being invited to the Reed Ranch in Spearman, Texas. I usually spend most of my time taking pics of the great cowboys that work for the Reeds, but on occasion they let me drag a few calves. On one particular occasion, I actually roped pretty well and I remember A.D. Reed, the ranch’s patriarch and top hand, came up to me afterwards to tell me that I had the guys talking about how impressed they were with my dragging skills. While it was nice to hear that and humbling at the same time, to me the biggest reward came from being able to out-perform their expectations. While I’d like to take credit for being able to get done what I did, I can tell you the secret to always out-performing others’ expectations. The secret is having God on your side.

Here’s what I’ve learned from riding with Christ: In the eyes of others, you may seem like an underdog, but with Christ you can do the impossible. It may seem that you’re not smart enough to go to college, but with Christ you can do it. It may seem that you’re not good enough to get that job. But with Christ you can not only get the job, but after a while you can get the promotion, and then eventually become the boss. You may think, “that hot babe over there would never fall in love with a guy like me.” Take it from me, God can blind her enough to look past your ugly mug and see what a great guy you are, and y’all could end up living happily ever after.

See, what a lot of people don’t get is: without Jesus, we are nothing and we can accomplish nothing of true worth. But with Christ, we can do anything He asks us to do. You could be a high-school dropout. It doesn’t matter. With Christ in your corner, you can do the impossible. As a parent you may think to yourself, “I have no idea how to be a good dad.” Well, let me tell you, even though my grandpa died when my dad was four years old, my dad had another Heavenly Father to help him become the greatest dad I’ve ever known. God can equip you to be an outstanding parent, and, where you’re lacking, God can fill the gaps.

If you think about it, Jesus was underdog too. Sure, He was the Son of God, but not everyone believed that. Even His own brother didn’t believe He was special. He just looked at Him as his smelly big brother and not the Savior of the world that He was. To many of His own followers, Jesus wasn’t what they thought He’d be. Instead of conquering the Romans and becoming the King of Israel like everyone hoped He would, Jesus sought no throne, had no crown or palace, but instead a pair of sandals and a mission to do His Father’s will. And against all odds, that’s exactly what He did. He out-performed everyone around Him by loving the unlovable, healing the sick, performing miracle after miracle, and eventually even defeating death. This Underdog changed the world!

So, if He can do all these things and more, surely He can help you do more than you could have ever dreamed or thought you could do. If the odds are against you, take hope. God is in the business of using underdogs. And God want to use an underdog just like you.

C H E W O N T H I S

What’s holding you back from being who God wants you to be? Is it your past? Your fears? What mindset or habit do you need to get rid of to begin to be used by God in ways you never thought possible?

P R A Y E R

Jesus, I thank you for empowering me to do the impossible. I trust that you want to use me and I’m giving you permission. Take what little I have and use it to out-perform what anyone thought was possible. I give you the glory and honor.