Sore loser: Someone who believes s/he is better than his/her competition, entitled to first place and will not succumb to anything but the best or highest position/honor. (That is my own creative definition...it's not dictionarial...and probably less than accurate...it's a working street definition.) I'm sure we all know someone who fits this definition. If you don't, it might be you. I've been a sore loser at some points in my life...no one really enjoys losing - that's not ever our goal when we set out to compete in something...but someone has to lose.
So, if we insert God into this definition...does He qualify as a sore loser? Let's see...
Someone (God) believes He is better than His competition, entitled to first place and will not succumb to anything but the best or highest position/honor. I do believe the shoe fits his (probably gigantic) foot...but consider the following with me, if you will.
Given the definition above, these verses (NLT version) support the argument that God could be considered a sore loser:
He says there is no other god but Him:
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Exodus 20:3/Deut 5:7 “You must not have any other god but me.”
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Isaiah 44:6 "This is what the Lord says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven's Armies: 'I am the First and the Last; there is no other god.'"
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Psalm 96:4 "Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods."
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Deuteronomy 6:4-5/Mark 12:29-30 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
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Matthew 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
God comes before anyone else, it is Him or the other - not both:
- Psalm 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people."
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Acts 5:29 “...'we must obey God rather than any human authority.'”
- Romans 6:16 "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."
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Matthew 6:24/Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
- Galatians 4:7-9 "Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you His heir. Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?"
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Romans 1:25 "They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen."
I chose the term "sore loser" because the definition fits what God has said about Himself...however, "sore loser" implies that it is possible to be beaten by someone better. The fact of the matter is...there
is no one like our God.
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Exodus 15:11 "Who is like You among the gods, O Lord - glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?"
- Psalm 113:5 "Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?
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Deuteronomy 33:26 "There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor."
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2 Samuel 7:22 "How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You. We have never even heard of another god like You!"
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Jeremiah 10:6 "Lord, there is no one like You! For You are great, and Your name is full of power."
So no, God is not a sore loser - because He can't be beat. I'm sure there are plenty more verses to support each of these sections, but I'm hoping you get the point. If not, I'll tell you exactly what it is.
God is first - before everything and everyone. If you tend to your relationship with Him as the special thing that it is, everything else will fall into place.
Please understand that if you choose to follow God, you will struggle everyday of your life to put Him first. Following Christ requires endurance...it is not for the faint of heart. Distractions will bombard you and temptation will try to bust down your door day in and day out. But our testing and trials are not in vain (Galatians 6:9, James 1:2-3, Hebrews 10:36) and we will be blessed for remaining steadfast.
What would the world look like if Christians really allowed God to sit on His rightful throne in their life?
What would [insert your name here] look like?