Nike at Its Best

The word nike is mentioned four times in our biblical text for today's devotion, once as "victory" and three times as "overcome".

Nike at Its Best

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

(1 John 5:4-5)

Last month, we finished our sermon series at church on John's first epistle. We took five months to preach through the five chapters of this amazing letter written by the Apostle John to the churches in the first century. His messages are timeless, and we benefited greatly as a church by studying 1 John verse by verse.

When you look at this graphic, what do you think about?

Most everyone recognizes the Nike emblem. In the 1960s, Phil Knight began a small company called Blue Ribbon Sports. The main product of the new company was an athletic shoe. In six years, revenues from the shoe line climbed from $8,000 to $1.96 million, and employees went from 0 to 45. In the early 1970s, Knight changed the name of the company to Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory. By 1979, Nike had 50% of the US running market. By 1980, the company had 2,700 employees and went public. Revenues climbed to almost $1 billion in 1984. In 1991, revenues climbed to $3 billion, and in 1994, aided by Nike Apparel, revenues escalated to $6.5 billion. Today, Nike employs 75,000-78,000 people, and this does not include "thousands of outsourced workers in their overseas factories. . . They sell in over 170 jurisdictions and countries, and Nike generates revenues in the billions, with annual totals regularly exceeding $46 billion." Today, true to its name, Nike conquers and dominates its industry. (Source: article titled "Nike in the News")

The word nike is mentioned four times in our biblical text for today's devotion. One time here the word nike is used and translated as "victory." The other three usages are translated as "overcome," and that conjugation is nikao. The word nike means conquest, the means of success, or victory. The verb form of the word nikao means to subdue, conquer, overcome, prevail, and get the victory. The word is translated as "overcome" 22 times in the New Testament, and 18 of the 22 are from the Apostle John. Paul uses a form of the word in Romans 8:37, hypernikao, which is translated "more than conquerors."

The word nike is special to the child of God. We appreciate it not because it is the name of a Greek goddess or the name of a multi-billion-dollar company, but because it is the word used to describe the quality of life that Jesus Christ gives to His followers.

How victorious are you in your walk with Christ today? Are you thriving with Jesus or faltering? Ask the Lord to help you and empower you by His Holy Spirit to be a nike kind of follower of Jesus.