RACE

II Timothy 4:7 – I have fought the good (worthy, honorable and noble) fight. I have finished the RACE, I have kept (firmly held) the faith.

Did you know that the Christian "walk" is really a foot race? I remember in elementary school being one of the last to be picked on the relay race team because my legs were short and I wasn't a fast runner. Someone could have been chasing me but my little pudgy legs could only go so fast.

A few years ago I started a daily jogging regimen where I run several miles around my neighborhood for exercise with praise music plugged into my ears. It has become one of my favorite times of the day because it's just God and I in the great outdoors with my heart beat racing. I don't run too fast or too slow. I just keep a nice rhythmic pace.

Every human being on the face of this earth is involved in a race as well. As a believer in Christ we are on a specific course, and most of the time there is someone chasing us. It's extremely tempting to slow our pace to a crawl and eventually give up and sit down. It's also equally as tempting to step off the course all together and venture into a McDonald's or a Star Bucks until the whole exhausting event is over.

When the apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy he was sitting in a Roman jail awaiting execution. Even though Paul’s posture was not upright, his spirit was. He may not have been running physically but he was sprinting towards glory spiritually. Paul is writing these words to Timothy as he is about to pass the torch of ministry to his "son" in the faith. God Almighty speaks these words to each one of His sons and daughters as He encourages us to keep going in the spirit, never give up, and fix our eyes on the finish line where He awaits with a victory crown!