Sleeper When you’re talking sports a “sleeper” is one that you don’t expect to win but does. When you look at that person or team it doesn’t look like much but then they come out of the blue to achieve victory. I heard my dad refer to cars that way once. There are people who take an old beat up car that looks like nothing and then they go to work on the inside. They put a new engine in and racing suspension. They add super breaks and everything under the hood they can think of to make it go faster. Now on the outside they do nothing. So you might think that there is this old beat up car, some rust on it and probably on its last legs. But if you are so foolish to race a person with such a car—you’ll learn your mistake as you see nothing but beat up taillights! I think Christians are a little like “sleepers.” If you take a look at us we may not seem all that much. We may have flaws and problems. We may wear the sorrow of life and the scars of life continue to add up. We may not be very attractive or look all that capable. In fact someone might think that we’re probably not going to make it another block. But it’s not what we have on the outside that matters it’s WHO is on the inside. The Lord Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the dead is the one inside of us. It is his power and forgiveness and grace that keeps us going and will in the end give us the victory. The world’s right about me, I was a car headed to the junkyard. The junkyard was the only place that I belonged until Jesus in his mercy chose me. He gave me new life inside and someday promises me even a new body on the outside. Until that day you and I can keep surprising the world as they see not our power but God’s! For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 Pastor J.