II Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”
Recently, I have been reading from I and II Timothy for my daily bible readings and this verse came to mind as I thought about this article. I remember what Yogi Berra said about the game of baseball: “It ain’t over until it’s over.” That is true for the game of life as well. You know, for most of us we are in the last innings of our game of life. Some may be in the 7th inning, some the 8th inning, and some in the 9th or last inning of our game of life. But as in the game of baseball, you have to play until the 27th out is made. Many games have been won or lost in the ninth inning with 2 outs.
Here, Paul is saying that he has been faithful until the end. He did not quit when suffering imprisonment, shipwreck, abandonment, or loneliness. He kept on keeping on.
May 29, 2011, looked like it was destiny, the day Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was rounding the last lap of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. You could just imagine the script that was being set; it was Memorial Day, he was being sponsored by the National Guard, and he was going to finally win for the first time in 105 races! Fans were hysterical stomping and cheering louder and louder. The moment promised much celebration for patriotism as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. came around the backstretch of the Coca-Cola 600. Then suddenly it was over. The gas tank of his Chevrolet ran dry and Kevin Harvick sped right around him and stole the victory. The race was lost because Dale Earnhardt, Jr ran out of gas on the last lap of his race.
So, let’s be sure that we do not run out of gas on the last lap of our race or that we slack up in the last inning of the game of life. Paul warns us in Galatians 6:9 - “And let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Rekindle the love you have for Christ so that you can say with Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I HAVE FINISHED MY RACE, I have kept the faith."