G o o d   f i g h t s

II Timothy 4:7

I imagine that everyone thinks about how they will finish this season.  Will we have that dream season, undefeated and champions?  Will we be winless and disheartened?  Will we be somewhere in the middle and somewhat mediocre?  We all start the same, but how will we finish?

In the Apostle Paul's second letter to his friend Timothy he wrote in chapter 4 and verse 7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;” 

Paul talked about fighting a good fight.  It seems that to fight the good fight is to contend for things that really matter.  Some people spend all their time fighting for things that don't count for anything.  As we grow we learn to sort out what things are worth dying for, what is worth fighting for, what's not worth an argument and what's best left alone.  Paul challenges us all to fight the good fight.

Paul said that he had finished the course.  I'm sure he meant that he had completed all that God had called him to do.  How many of us will say at the end of our lives that we've fulfilled God's purpose for our lives.  Paul challenges us to finish the course.

Paul said that he had kept the faith.  Faith is something that some people keep forever, while others seem to have it escape their grasp.  Faith - active trust in God - can only be kept through maintaining a relationship with Christ through prayer, study, fellowship and sharing that same faith.  Paul challenges us to keep the faith.

In preparing for your competition, keep Paul's challenges in mind.  Fight the good fight - do the right things for the right reasons.  Finish the course - finish the season well and strongly.  Keep the faith - maintain a strong trust in your coaches, teammates and your collective goals. 

Bible Reading Plan:

Mark 12:1-12

Psalms 102

I Samuel 17-18