Paul’s Perseverance
Paul lived life well right to the end. Here in his last words to Timothy he wrote “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6–7 NIV)
Paul was at the end of his life. An old man, knowing that his time was short. And as he looked back on his life he could honestly say: I fought the fight. I persevered until the end! I kept the faith.
When I played Easterns cricket as a junior we had a coach who used to love to say to us: “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog!”
I think Paul had a lot of fight in him. And the truth is, anybody with the Holy Spirit dwelling within them has a lot of fight! Because with a reliance on the Spirit, you can be strong even when you are weak. You can endure things that spiritless people can’t.
Persevering in Faith
I marvel at the fight in Paul. At the way he endured pain. If I had to live 100 lives, I don’t think I would encounter as much pain as he did - but he persevered. He kept fighting. He didn’t give up. Because he knew God was in him. And his faith was in God, not his own strength.
Friends, as I said before, Paul is not some spiritual giant that we can’t be like. He was a dedicated, committed man of God, filled with the Spirit and empowered by Jesus.
You and I can face our battles like him.
You and I can persevere in times of trouble like him.
You and I can handle the toughest of times because like Paul, we keep fighting, we keep the faith!!!
Keep Fighting
Someone once asked James J. Corbett, at that time heavyweight champion of the world, what was the most important thing a man must do to become a champion. He replied, “Fight one more round.”
Do you need to keep fighting today? To fight one more round? Maybe you’ve been beaten and bruised by life. Maybe you have a bloody nose, so to speak, and you’re sitting in the corner of the ring of life waiting for another blow.
Hear me friend: rise up! Not in your own strength, but in the strength of your God! Your God is stronger than any punches the world can throw at you!
Your God is stronger than the enemy! Today, NOW, your God is here to fill you up and pick you up and dust you off and put you back in the fight!
Don’t stay down. Don’t lose hope. Keep fighting the good fight of faith until the end my friends!
Like Paul, God will help you if you will place your faith in him.
