5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Matt Radloff

These verses are packed full of emotion as Paul passes on the torch of gospel ministry to Timothy. Paul has reached the end of his life, he has run the Christian race that we all run, and he wants his apprentice and his friend, Timothy, to run like he did. As we run the path following Jesus, it’s hard! There are times when the Christian journey might not feel hard – sometimes it might feel like a pleasant jog through the park. We feel joy in God’s word, prayer feels easy, going to church is refreshing. Thank God for those times!

But the Bible does promise us that there will be times of hardship. Times where it’s just difficult to keep doing the work we know God wants us to do. Times when it’s hard to keep trusting in Jesus. When it’s hard to keep the faith. The weight of sin, the desires of our hearts and the temptations of the world pull at us, call us to step off the track and take a break from the race. I find it comforting that Paul is real about the hardship of running for Jesus. He doesn’t sugar-coat it. He poured himself out for the sake of serving Jesus. That’s hard to do! He gave up everything in order to run the race. But Paul is also in no doubt that it was 100% worth it.

Finishing the race means receiving the crown of righteousness. When we reach the end of the race, God isn’t just going to give us a participation trophy. Not a “you ran in a race” ribbon. Not a “you tried your best” medal. God will give us the 1st place prize – not the prize for our own righteousness, but for the righteousness which Jesus won for us. Trusting in Jesus, through the good times and the bad, will be 100% worth it in the end. Knowing the prize means I can run with confidence. We can always know that it’s worth continuing to run.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt is one of our Student Ministers.