Don't give up now... "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7 He had multiple reasons to quit: Beaten, persecuted, shipwrecked, snakebit, abandoned, flogged… Paul, writing from prison, encourages Timothy (and to us) to stay the course no matter what. Paul can see the finish line and the crown that awaits him and all who run the race. Perhaps, you have faced difficult, extreme, and painful circumstances as you have tried to stay the course of faith in Christ Jesus. (Not surprising that Paul uses the imagery of a boxing match and a marathon as he speaks of his own life of faith.) Maybe you also feel like you are up against the ropes or hitting the wall in that later half of the race. We are encouraged to keep our eye on the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. To not give up. To press on… not in our own strength, but trusting in the power and might of God himself to stand by us and to see us through. For the apostle (and for us) that is the key: to not fight in our own strength...but in the God's power (the Holy Spirit). Paul, boldly calls us to keep faith in a faithful God who will bring us into his heavenly kingdom. Blessings,
Matthew+ Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP p. 235) | 
