Job done

 

I spoke in my last blog about the legacy that each of our lives will leave. If his life had been shorter, St Paul would have left a rather different legacy. Before his conversion, he was a zealous Jew who said of himself “… as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.” He strongly opposed the followers of Jesus and actively sought to stop the spread of the Gospel. When Stephen became one of the leading lights in the Early Church but was stoned to death because of his challenging and fearless preaching, Paul was present, approving of what happened.
 
But then things changed dramatically. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and began to follow Him passionately. He speaks in his letter to the church in Philippi of having gained a new and true righteousness through his faith in Jesus, and of considering everything as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as his Lord. And nearing the end of his life, writing to Timothy, he declares
 
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)
 
What do you make of this statement? It almost sounds a bit arrogant. How can someone be that confident about the way they’ve lived? Nobody’s perfect, and surely Paul tripped up along the way? Well, yes, he did, and he often showed a keen awareness of his failings and limitations. But he was wholehearted and selfless in preaching the Gospel, making disciples and serving churches. Fundamentally, he was faithful to the calling and commission Jesus had placed on him, and was therefore fully justified in making the assertions he did.
 
Are you a fighter and a finisher? Paul liked military and sporting analogies, which reflected his awareness that we learn much about how to live as a Christian from both those worlds - perseverance, discipline, dealing with suffering, keeping focus, and training consistently … But this isn’t just about us striving to do better, of putting in more effort, because it’s not just about us. Everyone God calls He also equips. If it was all down to us, we’d fail miserably. But we have the gift of God’s Holy Spirit living and active in us, and this makes all the difference. He’s our source of power and wisdom; He’s the one who shapes our hearts and our character; He’s the one who makes our relationship with God real.
 
At times, life was really tough for Paul - as it is for us - and he had to deal with much along the way - as we do. But he also knew what was most important, and lived with a confident hope in the promise of eternal life. And we can do the same.
 
Lord, help me to take to heart the encouragement of the writer to the Hebrews, who said “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneers and perfector of our faith.” Amen