“I Have Kept the Faith”

The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to Timothy summed up the meaning of “Christian pilgrimage” in words that are well known to Bible readers everywhere: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4.7). What a wealth of meaning there is in these words: he had waged a continual Christian warfare as a good soldier of Christ, always on service, zealous, uncomplaining, vigilant and patient.

He also saw his pilgrimage as a long course to be travelled. He found it arduous at times, but in spite of the ups and downs, the distresses and the frustrations, he trod the path to the end, esteeming it a joy for the things he believed.

The great thing was that Paul kept the faith. He remained true to the things he had espoused, even the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a living example of the faith, carrying the light of Christ wherever he went, not sparing himself.

In the fullness of faith he was able to say: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philipp. 3.14). This indeed typified his whole life; there was the forward march in the things of God, the reaching out to the Lord Jesus Christ, who only can offer salvation through his own name.

These things must have meaning for the brethren and sisters today, if we are to be among that great company who shall stand approved at the last day.

The Apostle to the Gentiles has shown us the way in which we ought to walk. There can be no standing still in the Truth, and we must individually and collectively go forward in unity and love, to the salvation that can be ours by the grace of God. We have no righteousness of our own for we continually fall short of our vocation in Jesus, and yet God is able to justify us by faith and grant us a place in His Kingdom.

My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible.

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

Psalm 9:10

D.M.E.