Joy Finished the Race

2 Timothy 4:7-8
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.

Joy Johnson ran her last marathon this year. She was the oldest runner to complete the New York City marathon at eighty-six. In her twenty-fifth venture around the city, she fell and hit her head on mile twenty, but got back up and finished the race. She passed away in her sleep the next day. A runner for almost thirty years, she understood the endurance and determination of a marathon. Because she loved to run, she kept moving.

The apostle Paul also finished a race. The one that mattered most. He endured prison, ridicule, persecution and physical abuse to continue his marathon for Christ. When Paul recognized that Jesus was Lord and accepted him as his Savior, he put his whole heart into the track laid out before him. Just as Joy trained her body to endure a running race, Paul exercised his spiritual life. He prayed, he read, he shared his faith with others. He encouraged his fellow Christians and reached out to those in need. Because he loved the Lord, he finished the course and kept the faith.