The Good Confession

UV 580/10,000 The Good Confession 2 Timothy 4 v 7 " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." St Paul towards the end of his life, could make the good confession that he had fought the good fight. He had started by fighting against the faith and being zealous in persecuting the early Christians but once the light of the Lord opened his eyes, he remained focussed on the mission of spreading the gospel. In his personal walk, he focussed as a runner would on the imperishable crown of eternal life. His faith was unshakeable and His enthusiasm unquenchable. Like a fighter St Paul did not pull any punches but gave it all he got. Nothing could deter or discourage him. He worked tirelessly. He soaked in the power of God that he was strengthened from within. Like him we need to harden our bodies and minds and soften our hearts towards the move of the Holy Spirit. St Paul uses the image of a fighter to demonstrate that our faith life is a struggle and it requires courage, hope, endurance of hardship and sacrifice. St Paul knew he was running after God, for God and with God. He realized what counted was finishing well. Like a runner gets a last burst of power as he sees the finishing line, as we get older, we must summon and muster that final surge. St Paul alludes to the image of a runner as our faith life requires discipline, stamina and hope of victory. In living a life of faith, we compete with our own flesh and the desires of the old self. Keeping the faith implies storing and treasuring the Word of God, obeying it to manifest our love for the Lord. Prateep V Philip