2 Timothy 4:6-11 I Have Finished the Race

Observation: It's hard not to read these words from Paul like a farewell. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I don't have time to dust off my Greek New Testament, but at least in English, these are all "present perfect tense," describing an action that has already been completed. It's not uncommon for these verses to be read at a funeral, especially for someone who lived a long and fruitful life. But what's interesting is that Paul doesn't dwell here for long. In fact, the next verse starts Paul's personal instructions to Timothy about coming to visit, and bringing Mark, with the assumption that ministry has to keep right on rolling, even to Paul's very last breath.

Application: There are a thousand different ways you can define "success", and often they shift from day to day and even hour to hour. But one common thread I've seen through reading the Bible, and with what meager life experience I can already claim in my late 30s, is that success is just not stopping. That doesn't mean never resting (because if you genuinely want to get stopped in your tracks just down the road, never take a rest, and life will take care of that for you). Instead it means working in such a way that you can keep on doing what you're doing for years to come. 

As a disciple of Jesus, my life goal is simple, and yet by definition it will not be done until I am dead. I want to spend my entire life sharing the Good News of God's grace in Jesus, with both my words and actions. My goal is to do that, and not stop. Ever. My goal is not to always win the good fight, but to always fight it. My goal is not to win the race, but to finish it. My goal is not to conquer the entire globe with my faith, my goal is to keep it. 

Christians in this age especially need to understand that the world is changing, and as much as the Church as we know it is trying to change with it, we may not succeed. If our goal is to always be the legal and structural entities we've managed to be over the last few centuries, then we will probably fail. And we need to be aware that God genuinely does not care about that goal. 

But if our goal is to continue proclaiming the Gospel, and not stop, and we believe the Gospel is indeed the power of God to save and create faith, it really is up to us whether we want to follow through on that. But if we also trust in the miracle of Pentecost, that in fact it's the Holy Spirit who shares the Gospel, through the voice of the church, then we can trust that somebody will be doing it always. My goal in life is to be one of those somebodies. 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank you for the faith you have given me. Thank you for the Gospel you have given to the Church. Give me the power and resolve to continue proclaiming it through my life. Amen.