"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." --Hebrews 12:1
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith “ --2 Timothy 4:7
As We Finish The Race
By Julius M. Tajale
The ending week of March is a week full of the culminating activities of the school year called graduation. Graduation marks the end of a one school year of endeavor in order to gain knowledge. It is during this time when those that performed well during the year are recognized and awarded. It is a time of victory.
Our Christian life runs similar to our schooling. There will come a time when our life here on earth will come to an end, and we will graduate from this earthly life. It is during this time that we face our Creator, our Lord Jesus to present what transpired with our life. It is during this time that we are rewarded of our obedience to our Lord Jesus.
Paul clearly pointed out three aspects of the verse in 2 Timothy 4:7:
a. Fighting the good fight;
b. Finishing the course;
c. Keeping the faith.
Fighting The Good Fight
Fighting the good fight is fighting a worthy opponent with vigor according to the rules. We have to journey through our Christian life within the bounds of God’s moral laws. This means no “illegal” acts even if we are in a situation wherein we are pushed in the corner.
We have to bear in mind that, no matter what happens, we should stay within the bounds of God’s moral law. Our pursuit of success could somehow tempt us to do “illegal” acts, we should be careful with this. Because life here on earth is full of choices and uncertainties, we need the guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ as we run the race.
Finishing The Course
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, laid out a path for each one of us the moment we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior. This is the course that each one of us has to follow as we journey through our Christian life. Each one of us has a course of our own, laid out by God and is composed of straight paths, curved paths, uphill and downhill paths, and dangerous hillside paths. The different conditions of our course define our training, the role that God is giving us in His big plan, and the victories that we will experience as we journey through our Christian life. We need to follow it diligently without short cuts. Taking short cuts will put you off-track, you can be lost or expose yourself to danger. This means we have to face the good times and bad times with the help of and guidance of our Lord Jesus.
Keeping The Faith
The race or journey that we go through is like a relay race. The baton should be in to the finish line along with the runner in order to win the race. It is similar to life. We started off with our Christian life journey with our faith in Jesus Christ. We should carry this faith within us all through out the journey, and bring it with us when we finally face our great God and Creator.
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Our Christian life runs similar to our schooling. There will come a time when our life here on earth will come to an end, and we will graduate from this earthly life. It is during this time that we face our Creator, our Lord Jesus to present what transpired with our life. It is during this time that we are rewarded of our obedience to our Lord Jesus.
Paul clearly pointed out three aspects of the verse in 2 Timothy 4:7:
a. Fighting the good fight;
b. Finishing the course;
c. Keeping the faith.
Fighting The Good Fight
Fighting the good fight is fighting a worthy opponent with vigor according to the rules. We have to journey through our Christian life within the bounds of God’s moral laws. This means no “illegal” acts even if we are in a situation wherein we are pushed in the corner.
We have to bear in mind that, no matter what happens, we should stay within the bounds of God’s moral law. Our pursuit of success could somehow tempt us to do “illegal” acts, we should be careful with this. Because life here on earth is full of choices and uncertainties, we need the guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ as we run the race.
Finishing The Course
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, laid out a path for each one of us the moment we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior. This is the course that each one of us has to follow as we journey through our Christian life. Each one of us has a course of our own, laid out by God and is composed of straight paths, curved paths, uphill and downhill paths, and dangerous hillside paths. The different conditions of our course define our training, the role that God is giving us in His big plan, and the victories that we will experience as we journey through our Christian life. We need to follow it diligently without short cuts. Taking short cuts will put you off-track, you can be lost or expose yourself to danger. This means we have to face the good times and bad times with the help of and guidance of our Lord Jesus.
Keeping The Faith
The race or journey that we go through is like a relay race. The baton should be in to the finish line along with the runner in order to win the race. It is similar to life. We started off with our Christian life journey with our faith in Jesus Christ. We should carry this faith within us all through out the journey, and bring it with us when we finally face our great God and Creator.
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The video shown above is a trailer of the movie "Thelma" directed by a young talented Christian director. The movie opens in theater on September 7, 2011. A must see movie for the youth of today.
"Thelma"
is a story of a simple young girl from the province named Thelma
(played by Maja Salvador) whose family is beset with challenges when she
discovers her uncanny gift of speed. Her talent then opens doors for
her – to elevate her family’s situation
and change the course of her own life. But to do that she will have to
run- against all obstacles, against personal hindrances, against shadows
from her past, and against her own self-doubts.
"Some people run away from their problems. Thelma ran to fix them."
