've been up since 4am this morning. And no, it wasn't on purpose. Yes, I like to get up early, but four o’clock should only come once a day. There's been an extra dose of stress in our household lately, and it generally manifests in small bouts of insomnia. I try to look on the bright side – it gives me extra time to read and spend time in the Bible, coffee tastes extra good at 4am, and in case you didn't know, the birds start singing at about 5:40. 🦜🎶
I want to share with you what spoke to me this morning from 2 Timothy in hopes that it will encourage you as it did me.
Paul wrote –
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
I bet it’s a familiar verse to you. It was the verse that lined the casket of a dear friend of mine years ago. Heart-wrenching words, because they signify the end.
Paul was nearing the end of his life when he penned those words, and it struck me this morning – he said them with confidence. How? Because he made the decision long before he spoke them - to live them.
Perhaps a good thing to come out of all this Corona mess is the realization of just how precious – and temporary – life really is. I can't imagine that a single one of us wouldn't want to be able to say we fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith when we near the end of our own lives. So how can we, like Paul, say those words with confidence?
If we want to say them, then we must live them.
You and I have some big choices to make.
If we want to say, "I have fought the good fight," then we need to choose TODAY to fight the good fight. Scripture often uses battle terminology. Actually, you know what? I'm going to do myself a huge favor and read Ephesians 6 today. I need the reminder of the armor I need to PUT ON so I can fight well. Don't you?
If we want to say, "I have finished the race," then we need to choose TODAY to run. Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us that we are to RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us. Hey yo, we have a race to run, so we need to get busy running! Christianity is not a spectator sport. None of us are called to sit in the stands. Here's the gig. No matter what our current circumstances may be, we can still run IF we choose to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.
If we want to say, "I have kept the faith," then we must choose TODAY to keep the faith. Sadly, I know many who used to walk with the Lord but have turned their backs on Him and have left the faith. It is a constant reminder to me of the incredible importance to choose every single day to keep the faith. No one wakes up one morning and says, "Hey, I think I'll walk away from Jesus today!" You and I can guard against losing our faith by choosing every day to keep our faith. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? How do we decide to keep our faith? By making a choice to read God's word for ourselves. By choosing to pray. Choosing to worship. Choosing to believe God's word over our feelings. Let me say this – it's impossible to walk away from someone you love with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Your relationship with Jesus is the most crucial in your life, so make the deliberate effort to invest in it every. single. day. He's worth it.
These words fired me right up this morning. Maybe God woke me up at 4am for a reason. Perhaps you are reading these words for a reason. Perhaps we all need the reminder that if we want to end well, then we need to live well.