Paul tells us:
“I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error]. In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.” [2 Timothy 4: 7-8]
Have any of us fought the good/worthy/noble fight? Have we finished our race? Have we kept the faith? Don’t look at what awaits us if we do, look at what is expected of us. Similar to the above, Paul in 1 Timothy 6:11-12 says:
“But as for you, O man of God, flee from these things; aim at and pursue righteousness [true goodness, moral conformity to the character of God], godliness [the fear of God], faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.”
Obviously this was very important to Paul. And I believe it should be for us too. HOWEVER, do not compare! Do I need say that again? Are each of our battles the same? Maybe the same topic but with the same ferociousness, the same intensity? Are all of our battles handled in exactly the same way? I don’t think so because I don’t believe that God creates us as clones. Again, the issues may be the same but the how of getting there and getting out… is that really the same?
Look at how Paul phrases this same thought in Philippians 3: 12-15
“Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you.”
The only problem with that last sentence is that WE have to listen. Relationship is never one-sided! Relationship means both involved. Now look at all the Father has done for you… even to the extreme point of sending His only Son to be your/our propitiation so that we can be reconciled.
Look at that word – reconciled. Do you think you could be reconciled without the Father initiating it? I sometimes think that some of the fights we face are with ourselves. I appreciate that all of the gifts the Father bestows on us is sometimes overwhelming but in these cases… why fight? There is enough we have to fight (not the least of which is ourselves) that we should focus on what – and who – we are fighting.
When you consider everything you have: armor, weapons, God… why do we hesitate? Aaaa the the fight for ourselves? But if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord, then you have everything you need to fight for yourself. If you have the old man still in charge, remember the scripture that tells us take off the old and put on the new (Ephesians 2:22-24). If we couldn’t put on the new, then we wouldn’t be told to do this. I’m not saying this is easy… the old is ingrained. So that’s why we need to renew our minds – this is part of the fight.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So stand firm and hold your ground…” [Ephesians 6: 12-14a]
We do struggle, we sometimes fail, but we can once again stand and take the fight to the right enemy.
