Make up Your Mind Now

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

In a story titled “What happened to Megan Keith? Why the runner finished her race alone” published by Yahoo Sports on Saturday, it was reported that Keith suffered an ankle injury while running in the 10,000m Olympic event but kept going, despite being more than three minutes behind the winner and two minutes behind her teammate, Eilish McColgan, who waited for her at the finish line. "All the medals are great, but honestly this race by Megan Keith is one of the most inspirational things I’ve seen at the Olympics," one person wrote. "She was so far behind, but she never gave up. She went to race and she finished her race, and the crowd were right behind her as she did." "What a hero, love that she did this. Keep going lady, be so proud. You had injuries, got lapped and nothing was stopping you from saying you finished!!" another commented on TikTok.

And, you know, when it comes to finishing the race despite immense hardships, hurdles, and trials, Paul (nearing the end of his life), exhorted young Timothy to consider his life and the way he had lived so that Timothy would, like Paul, stay in the race until the very end. Which is the very reason Paul reminded Timothy that the mission of staying faithful to Christ would be a hard fight, but it would be a “good fight,” a battle worthy of waging with all his mind, heart, body, and soul. Why? Because there was a priceless reward for doing so! Paul said, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” Wow, right? That means all who fight the good fight, all who finish the race, and all who keep the faith will receive the same prize!

So like Paul, and other heroes of the faith, make up your mind now that you will boldly take your stand for Jesus Christ... even if you have to stand alone. Be courageous. Be brave. And be unwilling to defile yourself by compromising with the world in any way. This will definitely put you in the fight—but that’s where every true believer is called to be. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for promising to be with us in every battle. Lord, please open our eyes to the evil and wickedness all around us so that we can shine the light of Jesus and expose the enemy’s lies and deception. Help us to make up our minds now that we will stand firm in the fight, knowing that, as Amy Carmichael said, “We shall have all eternity to celebrate the victories, but we have only the few hours before sunset in which to win them.” It’s in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!