7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7

 

Wow. Don’t read the verse above too quickly. Read it again slowly and let it sink in. The more I read it, the more fired up I become. Imagine, at the end of it all, being able to use these three verbs to describe your pursuit in life: “I Fought, I Finished, and I Kept!”

 

As powerful as these words are, the one that is captivating me the most in this moment is the word “kept.”  The word speaks of one’s continual strength, action, and commitment.  When we read the passage again, we can see that Paul not only fought the good fight but also kept fighting. He not only ran the race of life but also kept running until he finished. And he not only believed but also kept believing. What a powerful word.

 

Paul reminds us that the spiritual battle we face requires us to keep fighting until the end. The race that we are in requires that we keep running, and the faith that we believe requires that we keep believing.  But now here is the best part: we are only capable to keep pursuing Christ because we are kept by HIM! Do you see it? Paul kept going because He was kept by Jesus (1 Peter 1:4-5). Jesus has saved, secured, and empowered you to keep fighting, running, and believing.

 

Tonight, you’ll turn in to sleep; and by God’s grace, you’ll wake up tomorrow to fight and run another day by faith. And by faith, we will do that again and again and again until finally we will have been able to say that we have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, and we have kept the faith. Why? We kept pursuing Christ’s call because Jesus kept us secure in Him.

 

This week, we are going to study Exodus 17:8-18 and learn what it looks like to fight and keep fighting via the battle plan of God. Take some time to read these eight verses and come ready to do as the passage says. This week’s service will be structured a bit differently as we will learn and immediately do as the text instructs. This is going to be a powerful Sunday that equips us to keep fighting the good fight of faith.

 

Check out the worship set!

Loved & sent with you,

Pastor Jerry