“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me,
if only I may finish the race and complete the task
the Lord Jesus has given me –
the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
Acts 20:24
It may have taken Paul a bit of time to accept the baton Jesus was offering, but once he grabbed hold of it, he just kept running! Nothing else mattered. Not even life itself was more precious to Paul than completing his assignment from Jesus.
In Acts 20, Paul’s race is taking him to Jerusalem—and, humanly speaking, it will not end well for Paul there. He knows what lies ahead. He is not sprinting with his eyes closed. He runs with determination and a relentless commitment to finish strong.
The Holy Spirit has warned him that the next leg of his race will bring prison and hardship. His response: “I consider my life worth nothing to me.”
After the Damascus Road experience, Paul’s life is defined by carrying the good news to anyone who would listen … and even to those who refused to listen! By the end of Acts, there is an even greater urgency, a determined compulsion to run harder.
Paul ran hard not because he was an overachiever or because there was a reward waiting for him. He ran for Jesus. He ran because the baton he carried was given to him by our Savior.
Do you and I run for the same reason?
The good news of salvation is a message we all carry. If we know and love God, we know the gospel … but are we eager to share it? Do we look for opportunities to deliver it, or hide our baton and share it grudgingly? Are we carrying it where Jesus has directed, or—like the poor guy who intercepted the football, got turned around, then ran the ball into the opposing team’s end zone—are we running hard but in the wrong direction?
Paul was sent to Jerusalem. Some are sent to Africa or Alaska, China or Cyprus. You and I may be sent across town or across the street.
WHERE we end up matters much less than WHO sends us. Whatever our destination, the message will be the same: the gospel. But are we running races not assigned to us? Are we sitting on the sidelines when we should be in the race?
How can we know? We ask.
Jesus, empower me by your Spirit to run the race You have assigned to me. Show me my race. Help me to do no more – and no less – than You have apportioned to me. Fuel me for the race by Your Spirit. Thank you for the precious baton of truth I carry: the good news, the gospel. Help me to never ever get over what You have done for me. Help me to run all the way to the finish line and to run for Your glory!
Paul opens the book of Galatians by reminding them first that they have been rescued. The Gospel—the Good News—should prompt praise. But the Galatians have deserted the truth and listened to the lies from those who have distorted and perverted the gospel, making it no gospel at all. We invite you to watch and listen to this week’s teaching lecture, and be reminded of the Gospel: salvation by faith alone through grace alone!
