But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you. As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me– the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.
2 Timothy 4:5-8
These are Paul’s words to his young compatriot Timothy – words of challenge and focus for the future and words also of victory, true victory of the soul in Jesus Christ.
We’ve talked a lot over the past 7 weeks about struggles in life – both temptations and trials that we must endure. We’ve worked within the imagery of life as a race and eternity as a prize to be won. But I’m here to share the greatest of hope today and it is this – we have already won. We are victorious today in Jesus Christ. Our eternity to come – the kingdom of God promised to us is already ours, and the beauty is that it is not some far distant reward but also a real and present reality of our life in Jesus Christ today. When we take that step from selfishness to selflessness, from sinfulness to sinless-ness, from our own form of self-made righteousness bound to our actions, as though life were weighed on some cosmic scale that measures our good intentions against our not so good actions – when we turn away from this selfish ambition to be our own god and realize that our only hope is in the grace of Jesus Christ, a grace granted to us the moment we put our faith in, and act on that faith, – put our faith in the death of Jesus as the sacrifice for the sinful, selfish nature of our lives and the life received in His overcoming death on Easter morning – when we begin to live our lives not for ourselves but for God, we – have – victory. Continue reading