7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
The walk of a Jesus-follower begins at a specific moment in time and then continues through the process of growth and change over the remainder of a lifetime. Paul as he writes to his younger colleague in ministry emphasizes that his ministry and life are drawing to a close. He uses three metaphors to picture the process of growth that he has gone through. Each began on the Road to Damascus. Each continued to the moment of Paul’s writing. The first two emphasize the struggle and difficulties of the journey. The last emphasizes the need to keep to the job at hand. It is not enough to be in the fight. We must not quit before the fight is declared over. We must do more than just run in the race, we must make it all the way to the finish line in order for our efforts to count. Life falls short of the Designer’s goal if we don’t maintain our faith until the end. It is not enough to say “I used to believe.” Having an active, vibrant faith is vital to what it means to be a mature believer. This kind of faith keeps anchored in Jesus’ work on the cross, doesn’t turn on and off like the emergency lights in a commercial building during a power failure, and continues to grow and mature through those hard times that inevitably come in life. Sometimes we need to remember that our struggles here, during this portion of our lifespan, are just a blink compared to eternity. This momentary, fleeting life is just Act One of life’s drama. As the curtain closes in death the curtain opens on heavenly life. The older I get the more I examine myself in light of eternity.
The Arnold Journey 