Push Through

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith"- 2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV).

Runners know the strain of keeping the pace over hills and rocky areas. Muscles complain for rest; your brain either begins to agree with your body or a battle ensues between the two. Push through. The goal is to finish the race. Similarly, keeping the faith, like a race, has it painful stretches. Some times God's presence is almost palpable and at other times He feels distant, separated. Keeping the faith, and finishing the race, is a battle fueled by the devil. Notice Paul says he has fought the good fight. Our life is just a vapor. Our tomorrow holds our eternity, predetermined by our victory, or our failure, in keeping the faith. We don't like hills and rocky areas in our lives. They're painful. We want to reach for something off the shelf to stop it or numb it, immediately; so, the devil gives us drugs, alcohol, perversions, indulgences...anything to take out mind off the race. The lie, "The race is not worth it." Here's Paul's response: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Finishing the race is worth it; keep the faith. Push through.