Read carefully what the apostle Paul wrote when he realized the time of his departure from this life was at hand. He said, "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).
That's what Paul said when he realized the time of his departure was at hand. Now, what might we say if we learned the time of our departure is at hand? Would we say things like...
The time of my departure is at hand...I had better get my house in order.
The time of my departure is at hand...I had better go mend some relationships.
The time of my departure is at hand...I had better repent of some sin I've been committing.
The time of my departure is at hand...I had better start going to church again.
You get the idea. When Paul realized his time of departure was at hand, he confidently affirmed that he had fought a good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, therefore he had a reward awaiting him. May we so live our lives that when our time of departure comes, we're not found scrambling, trying to receive the reward for a race we were unwilling to run. Give it some thought.
- Steve Higginbotham preaches for the Karns Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at http://www.karnschurch.org
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