How to Finish the Race
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7 NIV
Paul wrote the words above near the end of his life. As he realized his task on earth was almost at an end, he reflected on his faith journey and looked forward to the “crown of righteousness” awaiting him (2 Timothy 4:8 NIV). I have heard these words read many times at funerals, and they have always been an inspiration to me. I, too, long to fight the good fight and keep the faith throughout my earthly life. As Christians, I think we all do. So, how do we finish the race strong? Let’s see what Paul has to tell us . . .
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it”
2 Timothy 3:14 NIV
“Paul was martyred during the reign of the emperor Nero in A.D. 67 or 68. During his final days, he wrote one last letter — a personal letter to Timothy, his co-worker and ‘son in the faith.’ . . . Here, the beloved apostle pours out his heart with a mixture of loneliness, tenacious faith and concern for his fellow believers . . . .”
The Story
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
1 Timothy 4:8 NLT
Paul reminded Timothy to work hard (2 Tim. 2:15) and to train for godliness (1 Tim. 4:8). The same is true for us. Yes, the Holy Spirit does all the heavy lifting, but we are expected to do our part. John Ortberg describes this process as “training vs. trying.” We cannot simply try harder to become more like Christ — it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to transform us. But that doesn’t mean we are supposed to just sit around and do nothing. We must train ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. How? Through spiritual disciplines such as prayer, confession, meditation on Scripture, solitude, slowing, listening for the Holy Spirit, servanthood, celebration, fasting, and anything else that takes our focus off of ourselves and puts it where it belongs: on Christ.
“God is working in you and on you today because He desires to work through you. . . . understand that the Lord has a great plan and purpose for your life — and that takes discipline and training. Like an athlete preparing for an Olympic game, it takes instruction, work, and refinement. God is doing something good in you.”
Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life
“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”
2 Corinthians 4:17 RSV
We also need to remember that training is hard work, and it can even be painful at times. Being transformed is not a piece of cake. It is a long and sometimes brutal process. If you’ve ever trained strenuously for an athletic event, studied like crazy to pass a difficult college course, or practiced for weeks to perform a piece of music, then you know what I’m talking about. At the time, it probably wasn’t all easy or fun. But I’m willing to bet that looking back, you considered the end result to be well worth all the struggles it took to get there. The same is true of our spiritual growth. The effort we put in now will pay off in ways we can’t even imagine!
“When we face struggles, God is purifying us like a precious metal, digging deep into our lives to eliminate all the pollution — our dependencies on anything other than Him. The Lord does not put us through this process because He sees us as worthless; on the contrary, it is because He sees the treasure in us. He doesn’t do this to hurt us but to preserve the best parts of us and bring out what makes us truly beautiful.”
Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life
So, how do we finish the race? One step at a time. We must decide to keep moving forward at any cost. Even if we stumble. Even if we fall. We must be willing to pick ourselves up and keep trying. It won’t be easy. At times, we will want to quit. But we can’t give in and we can’t give up. Paul didn’t. He was able to look back over his life with satisfaction that he had run his race well. And he was able to look forward to the victor’s crown that awaited him. There is a crown waiting for us, too.
“I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day—and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.”
Timothy 4:7-8 GNT
“If they fall, they will not stay down, because the Lord will help them up.”
Psalm 37:24 GNT
This week’s Scripture passages remind us to run to win! We must seek the Lord and His strength every day and trust Him to guide us on our path. We must be willing to let the Holy Spirit work in us and to persevere through the trials we face. We may stumble and fall. But let’s be determined to get back up, fight the good fight, keep the faith, and finish the race — no matter what!
” . . . when you face times of difficulty, no matter how great the temptation, do not give up. Remember that you are like an athlete in training and are being prepared for God’s higher purposes. So keep going by strengthening your focus on Jesus, because He will certainly lead you to a mighty victory.”
Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1 NLT
References:
- Frazee, Randy. The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
- “Heather Dorniden wins the race (HD, no cheesy music or titles).” YouTube, uploaded by Galen Fott, 29 August 2020, https://youtu.be/g9rUUz8cMDM?si=u_rm73R72NVM2C6W.
- Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.
- Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
- The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.
Images:
- Marathon featured image by Th G from Pixabay
- Finish Line image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
- Baton image by BOOM 💥: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-passing-a-baton-12585936/
- Exercise Equipment image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
- Weightlifting Image by José Villegas from Pixabay
- Race background image by Ponchai nakumpa from Pixabay (edited)
- Road image by un-perfekt from Pixabay
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!