Run the whole race

TODAY'S READING: Acts 20:18-35 & 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Looking at the life of Paul I notice something very interesting. He was all about running the whole race. Not starting strong and then stopping. Not a sprint at the end. No. Paul ran the whole thing.
He said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful." (2 Timothy 4:7)
I often hear people (especially teenagers and young adults) say that they are going to "enjoy life" and get serious about God later. What if Paul had said that after His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? Would he have even started the race?
Once Paul met Jesus it was on. No hesitations. No delays. No excuses. He was in the race from the word go.
Paul's ministy was all about getting serious from start. He says in the book of Acts, "You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord's work humbly--yes, and with tears." (Acts 20:18-19)
Faithfulness to God is not a hobby we pick up later in life when we feel like it. Faithfulness is a life-long race that we must be in from the start. Once we encounter Jesus the race is on.
Do you think Satan waits once you commit your life to Jesus? I doubt it. As a matter of fact, Peter warns us. "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Satan is at you from the beginning. His goal is to defeat you. And he knows that the longer you wait to start the race the harder it will be to finish.
Following Jesus is not a spectator sport. It is a race and battle that we are involved in every day. And until we approach it as the serious task that it is, we will always be in danger of missing the finish line.

shine!
Jason