Enduring to the End

By David Ettinger

A Time for Reflection
As the apostle Paul languished in a dank Roman prison, he was acutely aware of his situation: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6).

Yet Paul rejoiced in the victories the Lord had given him. Writing to his beloved “spiritual son” Timothy, he proclaimed, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

This triumphant statement should serve as the summary for every Christian’s life when his or her time comes to go home. How can Christians live in such a way as to one day make this claim?

Fighting the Good Fight
Do you feel as if you are in a boxing ring? Does the alarm clock seem more like a bell signaling the beginning of another round in your bout?

Paul understood that life is a battle, and waged against an opponent who isn’t merely sparring: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Yet Paul kept slugging it out with the demonic forces that would destroy him, and absorbed every blow. He said, “If I must [boast], I will [boast] of the things which concern my infirmities” (2 Corinthians 11:30). Such was the heart of Paul, perhaps history’s greatest spiritual “fighter.”

Most Christians of free societies today will never endure the hardships Paul experienced, but there are times when we feel we are fighting an unwinnable battle. How do we go on fighting when our circumstances continually beat us down?

Paul was a master of getting up off the mat, and the lessons he learned speak volumes to you. Because your opponent is spiritual, you need to fight him in the spirit, which means calling upon the Lord to fight for you.

Paul assures you “can do all things through Christ who strengthens [you]” (Philippians 4:13, italic added). He also says, “do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). And once more, the great apostle counsels you to, “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).

Finishing the Course
If Paul looked back on his life and thought it bore a remarkable resemblance to running a marathon (pardon the abrupt switch in metaphor), he was right, as his three missionary journeys demonstrate.

The journeys were remarkable successes: converts were won, churches were launched, and existing churches were strengthened. But what about Paul? He tells us:

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed,
but not despairing; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down,
but not destroyed; always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
For we who live are constantly being handed over to death
because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also
be revealed in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:8-11).

You will likely never experience such hardship, yet enduring in a world hostile to Christ can often make you feel as though you are competing on an obstacle course (yes, a third metaphor). Just the routine of earning a respectable living, raising a family, and building a strong marriage can leave you physically weary and mentally drained.

When you feel overwhelmed, think of Paul. If he had given up, he would never have accomplished the work God had called him to. His counsel to you is empowering:

… one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

And this:

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm,
immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Paul understood that it is Christ for whom you endure, run, and compete, and He will give you the endurance to finish.

Keeping the Faith
Paul preached God’s message in perilous times. Both the Roman government and Jewish leadership were violently opposed to the propagation of the new “sect” and its followers they scornfully referred to as “Christians.” Yet Paul never backed down, defiantly asserting: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

Though you may never suffer physical persecution, the animosity of the culture and attitudes toward the message of Christ can send you sagging into depression.

When depression hits, Paul’s powerful words to Timothy in A.D. 67 speak just as masterfully to you today: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season … use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2, 5).

The Reward
You may be wondering, “If I endure, will it all be worth it? What awaits me at the end?”

Paul says: “In the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:8).

The crown referred to here is one awarded for lifelong enduring. But ultimately, the real reward will be spending eternity with Christ. And the good news is that it was not only Paul who received a crown of righteousness, but there is one awaiting “not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8, italic added).

Are you enduring in a way that will win you the crown? If so, keep running the race with the goal of crossing the finish line in triumph!

David Ettinger is a writer/editor at Zion’s Hope, Inc., and has written for Zion’s Fire magazine since its inception in 1990.