Last night I had a dream. In the dream I was running a race and the only rule of this race was that you had to keep running until you got to the finish line. There were no race tracks in the race, and in my dream I felt helpless sometimes but I kept going. Even detours and setbacks were valuable in this race, as long as I did not stop. I woke up pondering what this dream could mean and I heard this phrase, “stay in the fight till the final bell.”

In boxing, the “final bell” marks the end of the fight. So “stay in the fight till the final bell” emphasizes the importance of continuing and enduring until the end of the match. As Christians, we are fighting the good fight of faith. We are encouraged to hold on tightly to the eternal life to which we have been called. We are admonished not to give up but to persevere: stay in the fight till the final end. Here are three encouraging scriptures:

• 1 Timothy 6:12: Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. (NLT)
• Philippians 3:12-14: I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (NLT)
• 1 Corinthians 9:24-26: Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. (NLT)

Each of these scriptures paints a picture of striving towards an end goal as one would in a race. The life we live is not purposeless; it is a race to a finish line. And there will be a finish line. Paul said of himself as he came to the end of his ministry and calling on earth, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7).

It is not an easy journey. We do not race in competition against others. Instead, we race against a clock, a final bell. And when the bell goes off all that you will have left to show for the fight is what you have held tightly to. Everything of this world that we have gripped tightly will be left behind and only things of eternal value will be considered at final bell. So hold tightly to the eternal life for which God has called you. Press on towards the prize of the high calling.

Some days we will have set backs but scripture encourages us to hold on to the progress we have already made (Philippians 3:16 NLT), recognizing our race is not fueled by our own successes and neither is the fight won by brains and brawn. Instead, we win by daily appropriating the victory that Jesus has attained for us. God promises to be with us every step of the way from life’s first cry to final breath or in this case, final bell. I have been deeply encouraged by this scripture and so I leave you with it:

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

Isaiah 46: 4 NLT

Be encouraged by these words and stay in the fight till the final bell.

Yours Truly