A Word from Acts 20

When's the last time you competed in a race? I know we've got some runners and cyclists our church family. And so, I'm sure we've got at least a few people for whom racing a somewhat frequent activity. But the last time I competed in a race was probably back in high school, when I had to run a 50 yard  dash for our physical fitness test!

And yet, there's also a sense in which we're racing every day, aren't we? Racing to get somewhere. Racing to check something off our to do list. Racing to reach some goal that we might even be able to define. And that, perhaps, is why I'm drawn to today's word from Acts Chapter 20.

Now, this word comes from the passage I preached about yesterday. And so, you might remember that Paul was wrapping up his final missionary journey, and he was telling his friends that he'd probably never see them again. And yet, Paul had "counted the cost" of the mission on which God had sent him. And he had decided that serving God was worth any price. And so, he told his friends, "I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." (20:24)

So, here's my question for us. Are the races that we're running worth the price we're paying to run them? And if they're not, what do we need to change so that we can run the right race in the right way.

Paul would later say, "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—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Tim. 4:7-8)

May we look forward to the crown the Lord will give to us! And may we run today in a way that enables us to finish well. Amen.