Brown's Daily Word 1/29/15

Praise the Lord for this new day. We are in another cold spell. Praise the Lord it is getting closer to spring. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday Evening fellowship and study. The study was thought provoking. Fellowship was sweet. Sharing from the hearts was intimate and sacred.
Some of our children are avid runners. Some of them have even participated in Marathons. I was reading that during 1998 approximately 450,000 American runners began and finished a marathon race of 26.2 miles. Someone has said that running the marathon is the most accessible ultimate challenge around -- it is like having a Mount Everest climb in a city near you! Marathons are usually a blend of joy and pain. From the records we know hat many great marathoners have been forced to drop out of a particular race for various reasons. It is written in the Word of God that the Apostle Paul never did. He stayed the course. He saw his own life and ministry as that of a dromo, as a long distance runner and messenger for his Lord and Leader. Paul could claim, "I have finished the race."
The apostle concluded his look back on his life by stating, "I have kept the faith." If we understand this statement in the context of the ancient Olympic games, Paul is telling us that he has run the race according to the rules. History reveals that the early Greek and Roman athletes took a solemn oath before the games. They pledged that they would compete honestly and honorably. Paul, at the end of the race, affirmed that his vows, that he had made to his Lord, had been kept. Paul was saying that throughout the long, lonely, difficult, and demanding race, he kept Christ uppermost in his heart and mind. His life goal for thirty years was to be obedient to Christ's call. His faith, though tested, had grown stronger. The Lord Jesus, in whom Paul trusted and for whom Paul lived, kept and carried Paul through thick and thin. The Lord's grace is sufficient for his every need! In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul looked back on his life, remembering the heartbeat of his past. Then finally, in 2 Timothy 4:8, the aging apostle looked ahead and wrote about his hope for the future. "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." In the ancient Olympic games, a winning athlete was rewarded with the coveted laurel wreath or a garland of oak leaves. With this the victor was crowned. To wear such a crown was the greatest honor that could come to any athlete, but this crown, in a few short days, would wither. Paul understood that a crown awaited him at the finish, which would never fade, and this crown of righteousness is God's reward to those who are faithful and obedient to His Son. As Paul wrote to Timothy, he knew that in a very short time he would stand before the Roman judgment seat and that his trial could have but one outcome. He knew what Nero's verdict would be. The judges in Rome were not righteous. If they had been, they would have released Paul. How many times he had been tried in one court after another! Yet he faced his last Judge, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge who always judges correctly. William Barclay once observed that a person who is dedicated to Christ is ultimately indifferent to the verdict of any human court. He cares not if they condemn him so long as he hears his Master's voice saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Indeed, this was Paul's hope and joy as his life neared its end. He looked ahead with confidence and certainty, and even shared his joy with Timothy, reminding his young friend that this crown awaited not only him, but also Timothy and all others who trust, serve and live for Christ. Let us consider our own lives. Do we have this same kind of hope and assurance? We may feel pressed and pressured on every side. The challenges, at times, may seem relentless. We may feel a lot like Paul must have felt. Yet, despite the challenges that we face, do we have the hope and assurance which he knew as his death neared? Whether our race has just begun, is reaching the midpoint or is nearing the finish, we can have the peace of Jesus in our lives, and we can be at peace with God. The story of Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympic 400 meter gold medalist, is widely known through the 1981 Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Liddell, the son of Scottish missionaries to China, himself became a missionary serving Christ in China. Like Paul, Eric Liddell was imprisoned and died for his faith and witness for Christ. Like Paul, Eric Liddell was also committed to "run for God and let the whole world stand in wonder" (a quote from Chariots of Fire, 1981).
As you and I run the race set before us today and tomorrow, let us take time to reflect on our running. Let us remember Paul's words to Timothy and realize that with the Lord, we, too, can fight the fight, run the race and keep the faith. With the Lord, we can run well and finish strong! In Christ, Brown http://youtu.be/6Hi-VMxT6fc