Keep The Faith

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 the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me —the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

IN THE THROES OF PARENTING, it can be hard to imagine a day when our task will be complete and we will be preparing to leave this life for the next. But certainly that day is coming. For some parents, deathbed farewells to children are filled with regrets and fears. But for others, those farewells are full of love and peace.

In the closing words of Paul’s letter to his son in the faith, Timothy, we find a farewell that we might hope to emulate, an accomplishment we might hope to be able to claim as our own when our lives draw to a close. There was no fear in death for Paul. He had been pouring out his life as an offering, as a living sacrifice, for thirty years. Paul seemed to be at peace because he didn’t see his death as the end. “I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me,” he had written long before to the Philippians (1:23). Now his longing was about to be fulfilled.

Paul had kept fighting. He didn’t give up when things got hard. He kept the faith. He kept on taking Christ at his word, kept on relying on his finished work, and kept on guarding the gospel.

When your life is over, will your children be able to say that rather than giving in to the pressure of the world, you fought the good fight of faith; that rather than surrendering to some besetting sin, you finished the race of faith? Will they say that you remained faithful over the course of many years —through successes and failures, through good times and bad?

Lord, how I long for the day when I can look ________ in the face and praise you for the perseverance you worked in me over the long haul of life. Set my heart even now on the day when I will receive the prize standing side by side with ________ because we have eagerly looked forward to your appearing.