Yay!! You did it! The four weeks of this course were looming before us, but now here we are on our final day! Congratulations, you’ve nearly finished the race!
Running a race takes endurance, focus and stamina to cross the finish line. The Apostle Paul penned a letter to the Philippi church using the language of those ancient runners in the Olympic Games during his day. Read what he has to say:
Philippians 3:12-16 12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
In Christ we are empowered to press on with endurance and faithfulness, even when we face trials, setback and disappointments in this life. Think of the impossible circumstances the disciples found themselves in, because of the Gospel. In just two years, all of Asia had heard the Gospel, but there was a costly price of persecution and martyrdom that came with the Kingdom advancing with such unrivaled power!
The cloud of witnesses have gone on before us, they were empowered by Holy Spirit to run their race with boldness, fulfill their God tailored destiny with the resurrected Christ living within them and finished their assignment fixing their eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfecter of their faith.
Hebrews 12: 1-2 “1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
You and I stand on the shoulders of extraordinary spiritual giants. Our fathers of the faith, the mighty cloud of witnesses are cheering us on! The Holy Spirit, our Helper, Counselor and the One who teaches us all things, is in us to impact the world around us!
Paul tells his protege Timothy, in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
He was confident that the Person and Presence of Jesus carried and sustained him through many impossibly painful trials, he had completed his course, left nothing undone and was now ready to cross over the finish line and stand before His King and Savior!
You and I have been given the baton of the Gospel. It’s our turn to run the race and finish strong and well. Soon we will be holding our trophies and laying them at the feet of Jesus – the One whose Presence has marked and branded our lives in remarkable ways!
What a glorious moment it will be when we stand before Jesus our Savior, King and Redeemer and hear these words:
“Well done good and faithful servant.”
Matthew 25:23 “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
You are fully equipped and commissioned to run the race set before you, and will flourish to the finish line as one who is in love with the Person of Jesus and one who confidently carries His Presence to the world around you because of “having been with Jesus,” and knowing Him intimately like the Apostles in the early church.
In the end, it’s not about you in you, it’s all about Christ in you, the Hope of Glory! He will receive the reward of His suffering through our surrendered lives that are captivated day and night, by the one thing – His very Presence.
Beloved Friend, this world is getting darker and darker yet it’s His life giving and illuminating Presence in us that will draw lives to encounter His brilliant light.
We are the billboard of Heaven here on earth, showcasing God’s fire and glory.
We are His living epistles the world is longing to read and be transformed by.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”
Our best days are here and now! Holy Spirit, imprint, mark and brand us from this day forward as carriers of the Presence and Person of Jesus!
