Finish Your Course

In the last couple of weeks, we have seen several saints of God go home to be with the Lord. On our side, there is sorrow. We miss them. We loved them. We are thankful for the godly influence they had on us. On their side, their race is over. The Apostle Paul, at the end of his life, said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7).

The NT uses many analogies for the Christian life, including that of a race. The Christian life is a long, steady, persistent race, like a marathon. The race has a course, and each one of us has a course designed by God. Every course is different, yet every course is the same. The key is that you finish the course the Lord has set for you. Finish the commission that Christ has laid out for you: the direction, the responsibilities, the hardships, the victories, the ministry, the love for Him and His Word.

The way you finish your course is to do what the Lord has given you to do through the authority of His Word. Do those things every day. Grow in your faithfulness, grow in your ability, and grow in your motivation. Do righteous deeds. Think about what you should do and why you should do it. Then concentrate on the overall motive of your actions and thinking. Think about loving Christ and glorifying Him. The more we approach our days by doing the right things, by having the right thinking, and by being correctly motivated, the better we will run the course God has set for us.

The Lord encourages us that at the end of our lives, He will richly reward. Paul goes on to say, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Tim. 4:8). What a treasure to look forward to! These loved ones ran their race; let us run ours.