Fight the Good Fight
Once upon a time, a boy was helping his little sister up a steep mountain path when she complained, “This isn’t a path at all, it’s all rocky and bumpy”. The little brother smiled and said, “Sure it’s a path, the bumps are to climb over”. A simple and straightforward sentimental expression. But if we, as Christians, stop to think, what these two young ones said, might have a deeper meaning in our journey to the Kingdom of God.
We, too, can sometimes think that the path is nothing but rocks and bumps. But we are reminded here that the rocks and bumps are to climb over. Following Jesus Christ is not just a simple matter of attending the memorial service every Sunday and partaking of the emblems, rather it entails determination, commitment and submission for life on our part. It’s like fighting an unending battle in which one might seem to be winning today and is on the verge of losing the next day. It is only through determination and commitment that one may be assured of victory – thus overcoming sin.
At one point in Jesus’ ministry, the apostle Peter was determined to fight an entire band of men who wanted to take his Lord by force, yet a few hours later he was so weak to the point of denying three times that he ever knew Jesus. He momentarily lacked determination and commitment. He had always felt safe and protected when Jesus was with him, but felt insecure and doubtful when his Lord had been taken away. The story of the brother and his little sister teaches us to encourage each other to continue fighting the battle even if the odds seem to be against us. It is only through determination and commitment that we can overcome the temptations that surround us. Like the apostle Peter, we may find that at times we are eager to resist, yet a few days later we find ourselves weak and vulnerable to the same temptation. For this reason we need to mentally rise up for the fight against the flesh and submit ourselves to the things of God. Paul, in his last days, was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”. He could only have said this because he had discovered the rocks and bumps on his way and knew that they were “to climb over”.
Most of us have a tendency to relax, sitting on our laurels, thinking that because we were baptised into Jesus’ name everything else would just flow. We should just learn that every day has its own battle to be fought, an onward race to run. We must be prepared each day to stand up to the challenges of that day, knowing that we will never be “tempted beyond that which we are able to bear”. Never should we, as Christians, rest on our laurels, thinking that we can win today’s battle with yesterday’s score. Always remember, “There is a battle to be fought, an onward race to run, a crown of glory to be sought, a victory to be won”. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Bro Thompson Changata (Chishumba, Zimbabwe)
