One of the sports headlines for yesterday was this: “Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is biggest fight in boxing and must happen, says promoter Eddie Hearn”
Eddie Hearn said, “I don’t really have many regrets but I think we would always kick ourselves if we never saw that fight. For me, it’s a must. Tell me a bigger fight in boxing?” – Hearn says AJ is “fired up” and “has a lot to give”.
Big claims right there!
Boxing and humility don’t really go together do they?
Well let us look at a very humble statement in this next verse.
Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4 v 7)
The “good fight” isn’t about winning arguments or defeating enemies, but about battling against discouragement, temptation, and the urge to quit when the way grows difficult. It’s the daily choice to love when it’s hard, to serve when it’s costly, to hope when circumstances suggest despair.
“I have engaged in conflict chained to this Roman soldier. I have never quit. I have never slackened in my commitment to Christ. I have journeyed far and wide to tell others of Him.
I know what it is to conquer against the odds. I have stayed the course.” That’s what Paul had done.
I had coffee this week with a man who is facing his biggest fight ever regarding his health. He is having to lean in to God more than he has ever done. The battle is raging for him.
What are you facing today? The biggest fight ever? Who will win?
Then Paul switches to that of a runner.
Another sports headline at the same time said this, “Keely Hodgkinson could end her career as one of the greatest athletes of all time” Sebastian Coe has predicted on the eve of the world championships in Tokyo.
We understand these images as did Paul when it comes to the Christian fight and the race.
Paul kept the faith, not merely intellectual belief but active trust in God’s goodness even when imprisoned, abandoned by friends, and facing death
Today, we’re still in our own race, fighting our own good fight. The question isn’t whether we’ll face difficulties, but whether we’ll meet them with the same steady resolve Paul demonstrated.
What fight is God calling you to today? What step in the race lies before you?
Missions Paul 