"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." II Timothy 4:7 & 8.
After Paul met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and received his instructions for the ministry to the gentiles; he went full speed ahead running the race for the Kingdom of God. Although he was beaten more than once, had to run for his life, was shipwrecked, and thrown into prison, he kept his eyes on the prize. He had one goal in mind, and that was to finish the race, no matter what it took to do it.
Now he is facing death by having his head cut off – and he is sending his last letter to Timothy, his "son in the Gospel". Actually, Paul is telling Timothy what to do to stay in the race unto the end. He tells him to preach the Word of God; be persistent whether it is convenient or not convenient, listening to the Holy Spirit, Who will always give good direction. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage the saints with good teaching; giving constructive criticism. That means not jumping all over the people and tearing them down because we think they are not meeting our standard of holiness: and it doesn't matter who they are. They could be our brother, our sister, our friend, whoever, -- it doesn't matter. We are to approach them with the love of Jesus, and let our tongue be seasoned with salt and not contention. We need to ask the Lord to set a watch over our mouth so that we won't yield to the temptation to "let our hair down and give someone a piece of our mind". This will take dying to self and the flesh, a daily process: doing whatever it takes. We must see every person whom God places in our life, as a soul that Jesus died for: because He is the One Who puts these people in our life: -- and sometimes we wonder, why in the world would He do such a thing?
We've got to get to that finish line, overcoming every obstacle, jumping over every hurdle. Do you ever wonder why there may be someone in your life whom you always end up with contention? There always seem to be a battle going on between you. You just can't seem to get it together with that person. That is a hurdle in your race, and until you master overcoming it, God will place it there time and time again. It's not always the other person's fault, God wants to take you somewhere in this race that you haven't gone before; and until you overcome that hurdle, He will keep placing it there until you do. And after you overcome that one, look out for another one! Paul puts it this way: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith..." Hebrews 12:2a. This is not a 50 yard dash race, this is a marathon, with hill and rocks along the way. There may even be a river you have to cross; some disappointments and delays: but you keep on going, staying focused on the goal, doing what it takes.
Bob Ireland crossed the finish line on Thursday, November 6, 1986, as the New York City Marathon's 19,413th and final finisher – the first person to run a marathon with his arms instead of his legs! Bob, who was 40 years old, had lost his legs in the Vietnam War. He recorded the slowest time in the marathon's history: four days, two hours, 48 minutes, 17 seconds. When asked why he ran, he gave three reasons: (1) to show that being a Christian gives you a plus in life; (2) to test his conditioning; and (3) to promote physical fitness and courage in others. "Success is not based on where you start", he said, "it's where you finish – and I finished." Success always comes with a price. It will truly cost you to run in this race. Are you willing to do what it takes to make it to the finish line? Our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to do what it takes, -- He said, "It is finished". He finished His course in spite of the pain and suffering He had to endure. He was spit upon, abused, talked about, sort out to be killed, mocked, despised and crucified. God wants to get us to the place in Him where we are immune to adversity and the hardships in life. He said, as He was in this world, so shall we be. Are we willing to be totally committed to the cause of Jesus Christ? Are you willing to do what it takes?
