THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN (DEVOTIONALS)
Last Words
I can remember an exercise in my middle school English class that required the class to write out what we would want to be etched onto our tombstones after we shuffle off this mortal coil. I have no profound truth to give you about what I wrote. I am sure I tried my hardest to make everyone in class laugh, as was my way.
But the question is a good one, still used from time to time in pop culture. It forces us to examine our lives in the past and see if there has been enough to record in stone. It also forces us to think about the possibilities of the future and ask ourselves what we would like to accomplish with the life left in front of us.
In the passage that follows, we can hear something akin to the last words of the Apostle Paul as he gave them to his friends from the church in Corinth.
Listen to the summation of Paul’s journey of faith from the man himself:
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 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.”
Poured Out
This image of Paul’s life being poured out onto the burning altar of the Lord, turning to vapor in the presence of God, is a profound and moving way to describe his life.
From my perspective, Paul’s life was anything but ephemeral and fleeting. He stands as a giant before me due to his faithfulness and dedication to his calling. But it is instructive for me to see that even Paul saw his life and his contribution to the kingdom of God as something without consequence or staying power.
No doubt Paul saw his years of sitting in prison writing letters as secondary to his days of standing before crowds big and small, sharing the message of Christ with all who would listen. But in his last days, he could not see what the Lord would do with his sacrifice.
Finished Well
In verse 7, we hear the importance of finishing well in our walk with God. It is no good starting off with passion and excitement with the Lord only to be reduced to inactivity or rebellion against God as time and life march on.
How we complete our days on earth matters to the Lord. Paul wanted to finish his journey well. He would not go out with a bang, or with a great upsurgence of Christian revival. Instead, he would be executed as a traitor to Rome for claiming an authority higher than Caesar.
We might not know exactly how it ended for Paul, but we can know this, it ended with Paul standing firm in his faith. And that is a life well lived.
On That Day
Paul completes his thought by pointing to the fact that his life and ministry were a sacrifice given to the Lord Jesus Christ, and as such, the Lord would surely bless this gift of worship. Paul’s treasure was in heaven, and he was confident that the Lord would be faithful and true in all he has promised to those who serve the Lord in this life.
One More
There is one more summary statement about Paul’s life that I would add to his monument in heaven. We can hear this message in the following passage:
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
I praise you and thank you for the gift of heaven. I am grateful that you desire to spend eternity with me, not because of my greatness, but because of your great love. As such, I too desire to know you more and more in this life. All that stands in the way of my knowledge and experience with you is garbage that needs to be removed. Help me to pursue you more and more today.
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
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