For October, we will have a series of messages through 2 Timothy entitled Run the Race. Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him to live out the faith that he had.
Sometimes it seems like life is a race. People are competitive. We call the working world the “rat race.” We are even called the “human race.”
But Paul’s words to Timothy are related to his Spiritual life in Christ. That faith may have started small, but it kept growing, encouraged by the Spirit. Through the calling of God, Timothy worked in the kingdom. He shared the word and encouraged others in their faith. He shared in the suffering that Paul had also experienced.
The encouragement of Paul to Timothy also applies to us. We should be prepared to run. We should train for the race by growing stronger in our faith. We should run with endurance and stay on course. We should finish strong. Those things happen as we study God’s word, share in fellowship and worship with one another, and as we pray for God’s Spirit to fill us and help us to grow.
| Hebrews 12:1-2 let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith |
The author of Hebrews also uses running a race as an image to describe our lives. Run with perseverance, with endurance, focused on Jesus.
Running,
Pastor John