“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:6-7

Would you compete if you had no desire to win? I always found it frustrating as a young athlete when people said, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” (Everyone who knows me just spit out their mouthful of Oreo O’s from laughter at the idea of me being an athlete) If there are no winners or losers then why keep score? Why even play? I understand now why I was taught that as a kid, but at the same time, I think we too often take that approach in our Christian walk.

We live a life of lowered expectations. The overall attitude of our culture has become, “At least I tried. So what if my effort stunk.” Think about it, we now have spell-check so you don’t need to learn how to spell anymore. Calculators are allowed in school, so kids don’t even need to learn how to solve math problems. You no longer have to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed because EVERYONE is a winner! If you want to buy something, don’t wait to save, put it on a credit card. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat right and exercise, have expensive surgery instead.

But with God it’s different. He uses time and trial to mold us into the people we need to be so that we can accomplish what He has for us. Unfortunately people would rather sign up for a marathon just to get the t-shirt then actually spend time training and put forth the effort to finish the race. I know I would most likely start off in the front of the pack and then gradually fade into the background, until finally I pull a “hammy” stretching for the last bag of potato chips at the nearest snack stand.

A recurring theme in the book of 2 Timothy is determination. Through thick and thin, in the midst of a barrage of obstacles and distractions, a servant is called to run hard and finish well. We looked previously about how to train our bodies for the race, but now the race has begun and we need to be in it to win it! There are heavenly rewards for all who commit themselves to the race. Not just to say, “I participated” but to be able to say like Paul, that we ran well, that we finished the race. There are plenty of reasons why we would quit. There are snares that trip us up, not to mention the physical and mental toll that such an intense activity can take on body and mind. But what you do when you fall is the key to victory. Where you look to find strength when you’re weary is what provides the motivation needed to overcome those hurdles.

The problem is that we don’t expect to fall. So when it happens, we throw in the towel. It becomes a mountain that we can’t climb. We think that God is our coach on the sidelines screaming at us for losing focus and making a bone-headed mistake, when in reality, that’s the enemy. He loves to kick dirt in our face while we’re down for the count. The truth is that Jesus is standing at the finish line waiting for us, cheering us on! He is there so that when it gets tough we can draw our strength from, and fix our eyes on, Him. Hebrews 12:1-2 says “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” God is glorified in our victory because He has given it to us. He gives us the strength to cross that finish line. And when we do, He is there, holding us up with one hand and holding our crown in the other.

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:8