Continue

Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. – 1 Timothy 4.13-16

Continue in these things. How often are we told to be stedfast, unmovable, to finish our work, to run the race, to not be weary, to faint not, to not quit, and so on?

Why do we need to hear that so often?

I think it is because the task is not easy. Serving the Lord has its blessings, but it certainly has its challenges. It is easier to give up when things get tough than it is to keep plugging away.

We are not always promised great wins or amazing successes. We are not even promised and easy road. We were never told that the Christian life would be a 100 metre dash. The Christian race is an ultra-triathlon. That’s why the book of Hebrews tells us to ‘run with patience’ the race that is laid out before us.

The one thing that requires out if His workers is that they be faithful to do what He called us to. We are meant to jump off the racetrack because the race gets tough. How many videos have we seen of runners finishing the race no matter what has happened to them? These folks go through some extreme situations just to finish the race. The video attached shows what it mean to finish, That’s the kind of dedication God wants from us as well.

All God wants out is to be faithful and hold on till the end – and he promises that He will be there to carry us through. Finish the course. Keep the faith.