Finish the Race

One can have all the wealth of this earth but still, live in the deepest sorrow and despair. The true joy and fulfillment of this life was not intended to be rooted in the material possessions of this world, neither was it intended to be intrinsically inherited in the mere accomplishment of life. Although riches make life easy in many aspects, joy and fulfillment come in a much steeper and deeper revelation in this life. The Lord Jesus Himself asked this profound question.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” – Matthew 16:26

What a profound inquiry to ponder upon! This is the revelation that Paul had. Anyone who genuinely ponders upon such a sincere question should arrive safely at Paul’s newfound truth and understanding when he said he considered any life no matter the accomplishment without Christ as “lost” and “rubbish”, or “junk”. Your life without Christ as the core and the center is a lost cause and rubbish. Paul gave up everything in order to not just finish his life on this earth with Christ at the core, but also to fulfill the assignment that Jesus had called him to and the destiny that God created him for. Paul said, “finish the race”. As humans, you were designed by the Creator for His pleasure.

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your pleasure, they exist and were created.” - Revelation 4:11

It is important to note the timing and positioning of the aforementioned Scripture. The passage is strategically stated in the latter book of the Word of God. It is the summarization of those who understand why they were given the wonderful opportunity of life on this earth. They had the precious revelation that no matter what was afforded to them on this earth, their life on this earth had a divine purpose, and that purpose is connected to the very Being who created them. They understood that their life on this earth was not an accident and neither was it a fluke. They discovered the truth of why they were created and lived according to that very truth.

WORTH FIGHTING
In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul boldly stated,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Paul was always a successful man in his personal endeavors. He was successful both when he was a non-believer of Christ and when he became born again. He always had the zeal to win. He gained extensive notoriety even above his peers and contemporaries. He was very successful both in his personal life as well as in his religious pursuit. In his personal life, he was a highly educated man astute in commerce. On the other hand, he hated the church in his religious pursuit. He was a Pharisee who detested Christ and anyone that followed Christ.

God’s plans for our lives are always in effect, even before we become aware of His purpose for our lives. During the course of Paul’s life on this earth, whether he was aware or not, he was always on course to be plugged into the purpose of God. The outcome of God’s intention was going to be contingent upon how Paul was going to respond. In Paul’s position, all he needed was a revelation of Christ in order for that incredible reversal of heart to occur. God does not save anyone, so that they will be a lump on a log. God has saved you, to be part of His divine plan on this earth. Even before you became aware of Him, he had already orchestrated a unique role for you within His purpose. He has a plan for you to be an important part of the ministry of reconciliation and to give aid in bringing His people into their God-given destiny. You are an important part of God’s big plan!

The onset of God’s plan for your life is in being discovered by Christ, discovering yourself in Him, and in your total surrender to Him. When you meet Christ through the revelation of His Spirit, that is when your true life, in addition to true living, starts. Jesus is the only way into anything that you would like to transcend into eternity. Although Paul had many great accolades in comparison to his contemporaries, he described his life with Christ and God’s purpose for his life as “the race” and “the good fight”, which takes precedence over all else. He had more value in his life with Christ than his past life that was without Christ, no matter how earthly glorious it was. This is an astounding claim considering the fact that his credits included being a Roman Citizen along with many other great accomplishments. In those days, being a Jew with Roman citizenship was a prime position to be in. We see the value in this assertion in Acts 22, when his citizenship aided him from being punished by Roman soldiers for doing the work of God. In the chapter (verse 28), the Roman commander indicated that he bought his citizenship with a “large sum of money” and Paul responded that he was actually a citizen by birth. Paul was born a Roman Citizen (Acts 22:25-28). Although being a Roman citizen for a Jew was a great thing to boast about, Paul would rather be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. He boasted.
This is why Scripture says, “Little that the righteous has, is better than the riches of many wicked.”
– Psalms 37:16