“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.”
History says that the Roman emperor Nero was fair-haired, with weak blue eyes, a fat neck, and a pot belly. He usually appeared in public in a sort of dressing gown without a belt, a scarf around his neck and no shoes. In character he was a strange mix of paradoxes; artistic, sporting, brutal, weak, sensual, erratic, extravagant, sadistic - and later in life almost certainly deranged.
In the eyes of Christians in the first century, he became the first Antichrist. When the great fire ravaged Rome for six days, rumors swarmed the city that Nero had sung from a tower while watching the city burn. The Romans had their suspicions about who started this fire when Nero built his large scale Golden Palace on the ground that had been utterly destroyed by the fire. Desperate to be popular in the eyes of the people, he sought a group to blame. He chose the Christians.
Nero arrested them and through them to the wild beasts in the arena for the entertainment of the crowd. He had them crucified. He also burned them as lighting for his gardens.
Needless to say, he never became popular with the great apostle Paul. It is believed these words in 2 Timothy 4:7 were in response to Nero’s appearance at the Olympic Games in 67.A.D. Olympic athletes trained their entire lives for the games, but this arrogant and ridiculous ruler would not be stopped. He entered himself into the games. Instead of exercise and training, this overweight man used medications to induce vomiting. He drove a ten-horse chariot team. Even though he fell from the chariot and had to be helped back into it, the judges awarded him the prize. No other contestant would dare to challenge him in the race. Although he did not race well and technically did not finish it, he was crowned with a wreath and declared the victor.
Now let’s look at Paul’s word. He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.” Like any Olympian, Paul’s entire life had been used for the Christian race. God used every part of his past before he committed his life to Christ. He was a Jew amongst Jews. At the end of his life, he could say that he was a role model for Timothy and for all Christians.
From the day of his salvation to the day of his death, Paul lived every moment in honor of God. He didn’t take shortcuts to victory. He endured every hardship and faced every difficulty head-on. His race had taken him through places like Judea, Macedonia, Syria, Galatia, Asia, Achaia, and Italy. Every point of his journey was under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He had finished every piece of work that God had told him to do. While the Roman emperor would take his life, he would not do it until God ordained that it was time for Paul to journey home to his true home in heaven.
In heaven, Paul was crowned by the Ultimate and Almighty Judge. He received a heavenly crown of righteousness for his well-deserved race of life. No one could contest that Paul had backed down from fight or fallen and not finished his race. He was a true victor. My friend, my heart longs to be this kind of competitor, too. Every part of me desires true victory, don’t you?
Pray with me: Almighty God, what an example Paul is for us. He was a true victor. He fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith and received the crown of righteousness. Father, help us to have Paul’s determination to continue fighting no matter how discouraged or how tough the fight may be. Don’t let of be spiritual soft bellies! We want to have the stomach to endure. There are no shortcuts to true victory. Help us to see every hardship as spiritual strengthening so that we can live our lives for you and receive a crown of righteousness when we appear before You, the Ultimate Judge. It is in Jesus’ Name, the Name above all names that we pray, Amen.
Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry
2 Timothy 4:7-8
History says that the Roman emperor Nero was fair-haired, with weak blue eyes, a fat neck, and a pot belly. He usually appeared in public in a sort of dressing gown without a belt, a scarf around his neck and no shoes. In character he was a strange mix of paradoxes; artistic, sporting, brutal, weak, sensual, erratic, extravagant, sadistic - and later in life almost certainly deranged.
In the eyes of Christians in the first century, he became the first Antichrist. When the great fire ravaged Rome for six days, rumors swarmed the city that Nero had sung from a tower while watching the city burn. The Romans had their suspicions about who started this fire when Nero built his large scale Golden Palace on the ground that had been utterly destroyed by the fire. Desperate to be popular in the eyes of the people, he sought a group to blame. He chose the Christians.
Nero arrested them and through them to the wild beasts in the arena for the entertainment of the crowd. He had them crucified. He also burned them as lighting for his gardens.
Needless to say, he never became popular with the great apostle Paul. It is believed these words in 2 Timothy 4:7 were in response to Nero’s appearance at the Olympic Games in 67.A.D. Olympic athletes trained their entire lives for the games, but this arrogant and ridiculous ruler would not be stopped. He entered himself into the games. Instead of exercise and training, this overweight man used medications to induce vomiting. He drove a ten-horse chariot team. Even though he fell from the chariot and had to be helped back into it, the judges awarded him the prize. No other contestant would dare to challenge him in the race. Although he did not race well and technically did not finish it, he was crowned with a wreath and declared the victor.
Now let’s look at Paul’s word. He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.” Like any Olympian, Paul’s entire life had been used for the Christian race. God used every part of his past before he committed his life to Christ. He was a Jew amongst Jews. At the end of his life, he could say that he was a role model for Timothy and for all Christians.
From the day of his salvation to the day of his death, Paul lived every moment in honor of God. He didn’t take shortcuts to victory. He endured every hardship and faced every difficulty head-on. His race had taken him through places like Judea, Macedonia, Syria, Galatia, Asia, Achaia, and Italy. Every point of his journey was under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He had finished every piece of work that God had told him to do. While the Roman emperor would take his life, he would not do it until God ordained that it was time for Paul to journey home to his true home in heaven.
In heaven, Paul was crowned by the Ultimate and Almighty Judge. He received a heavenly crown of righteousness for his well-deserved race of life. No one could contest that Paul had backed down from fight or fallen and not finished his race. He was a true victor. My friend, my heart longs to be this kind of competitor, too. Every part of me desires true victory, don’t you?
Pray with me: Almighty God, what an example Paul is for us. He was a true victor. He fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith and received the crown of righteousness. Father, help us to have Paul’s determination to continue fighting no matter how discouraged or how tough the fight may be. Don’t let of be spiritual soft bellies! We want to have the stomach to endure. There are no shortcuts to true victory. Help us to see every hardship as spiritual strengthening so that we can live our lives for you and receive a crown of righteousness when we appear before You, the Ultimate Judge. It is in Jesus’ Name, the Name above all names that we pray, Amen.
Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry
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