2 Timothy 4:6-8 The Reward for the Mission

Intro

On the Day of Judgment, who will hear "Well done, good and faithful servant?”

That is something every single Christian longs to hear.

To get to the end. See the Lord. And hear Him say those two little words: “Well done.”

Those two little words, for every Christian, mean everything.

How do we get there?

I think most of us just assume there isn’t a real answer.

That you just do the best you can to live a spiritual life, whatever that means, and hope that’s what it takes.

But God in His grace actually gives us a roadmap. A clear path for making it to the end and receiving the reward of His joy and pleasure.

The way we are going to look at 2 Timothy 4:6-8 is going to be a little bit different today. We are going to start with the end.

And we are going to start with the end because it tells us who will hear, “Well done?”

And then we are going to go back to the beginning of the passage because it gives shape and digs into who that really is. What does their life look like? How do they live and what do they live for?

Paul says Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing.

Now we are going to get into what all that means, but I want you to focus on is the very last phrase.

not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Paul is telling us who who will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Who will receive the reward, the crown of righteousness from the Lord.

And he says it is everyone who has loved Jesus’ appearing.

This is so crucial, because without this line, you will think everything Paul is saying only concerns himself. That it only applies to him.

I mean he’s the Apostle. The great missionary to the gentiles. The one who wrote most of the books of the New Testament.

Of course he would receive the crown of righteousness.

But Paul says its not just me. Even though Paul is talking about himself in this passage, I am being poured out, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, all of it applies to all Christians who have loved the Lord’s appearing.

Well what does that mean?

If you remember from last week, the word, appearing, does not just mean Christ’s glorious second coming. It includes that, (by necessity it includes that because it is not until Christ’s return that the Day of Judgment will happen), but its not limited to that.

Literally, an appearing is a shining forth in glory. It is an unveiling, a revelation of awesome glory and majesty.

And earlier in 2 Timothy 1:10 Paul used that same word to say this.

2 Timothy 1:10 [God’s grace has] now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Christ’s appearing, his shining forth in awesome glory, was manifested in his sinless life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection.

So Jesus’ appearing is his glory in saving sinners. It was manifested when he came the first time to justify us in his incarnation, and it will be manifested again when he returns to bring the fullness of our salvation and make it a reality.

When he once and for all, removes every stain and trace of sin. Not just the condemnation of it.

That is what we as Christians are looking forward to. That is our hope.

So when Paul says that Jesus will award the crown of righteousness to all who have loved his appearing, He’s saying who will hear, “Well done,” is every person that loves Christ, his gospel, and his salvation.

Every person that has repented of their sins and followed Him.

In other words, disciples of Christ. And because Jesus says “Well done, good and faithful servant,” these are faithful disciples of Christ.

And that leads us to the meet of this passage. What does a faithful disciple look like? After all, if we want to hear well done that is the thing we need to know.

And Paul tells us in the rest of this passage.

Faithful disciples:

1. Live wholeheartedly for Christ

2. Persevere Faithfully to the end

And 3. Guard the gospel and pass it one.

And then we are going to come back and look at what the reward will be when Christ says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Let’s start with point number 1...

I. Faithful Disciples Live Wholeheartedly for Christ

2 Timothy 4:6-7 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

When Paul says For, he is giving a reason for Timothy to follow what he had just said.

So its like Paul is saying, Timothy, Preach the Word, always strive for holiness and live for Christ, endure suffering, share the good news about Jesus Christ, and fulfill your ministry because I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come.

We’ve been saying this whole series, 2 Timothy is Paul passing the torch, and this is it.

Timothy needs to finish the mission and fulfill his ministry because Paul isn’t going to be around to do it anymore. The time of his departure has come.

He’s about to die for Christ and he knows it.

That’s why he says his life is already being poured out like a drink offering.

This is a sacrifice in the Old Testament where the priest would offer wine to God as a holy sacrifice.

And in the NT wine is symbolic for blood which is why we celebrate Christ’s blood shed for us with wine in the Lord’s Supper.

So Paul’s saying, my blood is about to be poured out to God as a sacrifice. My life is His and all I want to do is please Him.

He is living out what he commanded the Roman church all those years ago. Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Paul’s love for the Lord was more than his Love for his life or his love for the world.

Paul lived out the radical, sacrificial, worshipful discipleship Jesus commands every single one of us.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:23-25

That’s faithful discipleship. And Paul defines it even further. He says I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

These three descriptions of faithful discipleship each give a picture of what it means to love Christ’s appearing; to love him, his gospel and his salvation.

Faithful discipleship fights the good fight...finishes the race… and keeps the faith.

So I want to look at each of these individually to get a full picture of what it looks like to love Christ and his appearing and live for Him as faithful disciples striving to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

First Paul says I have fought the good fight.

This isn’t the first time Timothy has hear Paul use that phrase. Back in his first letter to Timothy Paul closed that letter with this charge.

1 Timothy 6:11-12 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

For Paul, fighting the good fight of the faith obviously included relentless discipleship.

Fleeing youthful passions and pursuing righteousness. Godliness. Faith. Love. Steadfastness. And Gentleness.

It meant taking hold of the eternal life God has given us in Christ.

And that’s a strong word. Taking hold doesn’t just mean picking something up like a donut or a cup of coffee.

It means grasping. Arresting. Pouncing on something.

Its this idea you are taking hold of something and making it your own.

And Paul is saying that about eternal life.

Now, obviously, Paul’s not saying that you can reach out and take eternal life for yourself by your own power.

God’s grace is a gift. No one can take it. No one can earn it. God must give it that no man may boast.

Paul says By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8-9).

So what does Paul mean by taking hold of eternal life?

Its taking the eternal life God gives through faith in Christ, and actually making it your own.

In other words, eternal life makes a difference in how you live here and now.

And that difference is living wholeheartedly for Christ.

Living all of your life for Him, His glory, His Kingdom, and His purposes.

You might’ve noticed that the triad Paul closes 2 Timothy with: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, ties directly to the triad Paul had in chapter 2 where he commanded Timothy to:

Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ

Run the race God had set before him

And three, labor like a hard-working former who with faith and patience keeps plowing when things get hard, trusting it will be worth it in the end.

So fighting the good fight, obviously has a direct link to being a good soldier of Christ.

And back in chapter 2, Paul said what makes for a good soldier.

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:4).

This is that total life commitment. That wholehearted devotion.

Fighting the good fight means we don’t live for ourselves, we live for Christ.

Whether its in our inner life, inner thoughts, desires, priorities, dreams, goals, aspirations.

Or our family, church, purpose in the world, what we are getting up for every day.

Fighting the good fight means all of that is laid at the feet of Christ to say Not my will. Your will be done.

Now I want to be helpful here. Because usually when a pastor says something like this, everyone’s first thought goes towards Christian piety. Spiritual disciplines.

Because we grew up in a Christianity that says Jesus is the Lord in here, and its all about a personal relationship, our default understanding of discipleship is just reading the Bible a lot. Praying a lot. Always listening to sermons or singing worship music.

It is fair to ask, what does it actually mean to live for Christ?

And while I don’t want to diminish the value of spiritual disciplines and personal piety or godliness which are crucial in the life of the believer, when we talk about discipleship, I want you to start filtering that through, living my life according to God’s Word.

Bringing every single part of myself, my life, my family, my church, my job, and this world in submission to Christ.

To follow what He has said to the glory of His Name.

So if you run a business or you have employees, you do that as a Christian. You pay them fair wages. Foster a culture that encourages them to build godly families where loving your spouse and raising your children are priorities.

And on that note, you strive for a Christian family.

One where Christ is the center of the home. Not having moral kids or a comfortable life, nice house, American dream type stuff.

One where the family follows Christ. Sin is dealt with, repented of. The dinner table is a place of worship and instruction in the Lord.

Where the goal of your marriage the glory of Christ first in loving your wife and submitting to your husband and not my own personal happiness.

Here it is at the end of the day. Where we take every single part of our life, and say without compromise Christ is King.

I want to serve Him. Live for Him. Love Him. And what he says goes in my life.

That’s a sin? Gone. Put it to death.

That’s what righteousness and justice looks like? Done. He is King. And how could I not give all my life to someone who has loved me so much that He died for me.

That’s discipleship…That’s what we are looking for. All of Christ, for all of life, in everything.

Like I said. I’m not against Piety. I’m not against inner godliness and love for Christ. I’m not against spiritual disciplines.

But I am against tame Christianity.

I’m against a Christianity that says Jesus is Lord in here. And He’s the Lord in here, in these four walls. But He doesn’t really touch anything out there.

Living wholeheartedly for the Lord. Faithful Discipleship. Doesn’t mean all you do is sit in a room and read your Bible all the time. That you spend hours and hours in prayer.

True discipleship, true Christianity refuses to be tamed and domesticated to where that’s all our faith boils down to.

Faithful discipleship says out of that piety, the fruit of that heart level love and devotion to the Lord, has real world implications.

It proclaims Christ is King and proves that by following Him with each and every step of our life.

And here’s what was so convicting for me. Am I taking hold?

Am I refusing to be tamed and domesticated?

Am I refusing to put Jesus in a box where he’s just my personal religion?

Or am I pursuing faithful discipleship everywhere in my life to bring everything in submission to Christ?

Discipleship does not look like following the path of least resistance. Its a good fight.

And that doesn’t mean Paul said he fought good.

Paul is saying the fight is good.

It’s worth giving your life to. Because it is for eternity and the glory of God.

I don’t want to be tamed. The world is very comfortable with pietism. With a Christianity that says Jesus just rules in our hearts.

There’s a reason why the world is comfortable with it. It doesn’t confront them with repentance.

Its not until someone shows up preaching Jesus is Lord that the Kingdom of God starts colliding with the kingdom of this world.

I don’t want to be tamed. I don’t want to fit into the world’s box with a comfortable Jesus.

I don’t want our families to be tamed. I don’t want this church to be tame. I want us to radically live for Christ with all of our life.

To proclaim with or mouths, lives, thoughts, actions, words, deeds: Christ is King without apologizing for it.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.

Will we?

Or will we play it safe believing that remaining in the flesh is far better than departing to be with Christ (Phil 1:23)?

Will we settle for a tamed Christianity, or will we live with Christ as King?

Faithful Disciples live wholeheartedly for Christ.

Number 2...

II. Faithful Disciples Persevere

2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race...

Earlier, in chapter 2, Paul said an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

You will not here well done if you drop out of the race before the finish line. We need perseverance.

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Time and time again, the Bible compares the Christian life to a race.

And it is a race, God himself has set before us.

Perseverance is staying faithful to that race until the very end. To keep going. Putting one fit in front of the other, trusting God all along the way.

We’ve talked about it before in sermons. Without perseverance, you will not be saved.

Even the Lord Himself said multiple times, the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22; 24:13).

Now that doesn’t mean that we save ourselves by our perseverance. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

What it means is that perseverance is the fruit of genuine saving faith.

Someone that truly belongs to Christ will persevere no matter the cost.

And in 2 Timothy, Paul is learning exactly what that means first hand.

He’s about to cross the finish line. He’s about to be beheaded for his faith in Christ. And he says I have finished the race.

That is what every Christian wants to say at the end of their life. I’ve run my course. I’ve followed what God laid out for me to do, and by his grace I followed it to the very end.

We all want perseverance. The question is how? How do we persevere by God’s grace.

God tells us in Hebrews 12:1-2.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

If we want to persevere, we must lay aside every weight. Lay aside every sin. And look to Jesus for grace.

First we need to lay aside things that weigh us down and trip us up.

Lay aside can literally be translated as throw it off. Get rid of it. Leave it behind.

And the Author of Hebrews says there are two things that Christians must throw off and leave behind if they are going to run the marathon with endurance: sin and weight.

Sin

Sin is easy enough to understand. We cannot run the race if we are entangled in sin.

That’s what he means by saying the sin which clings so closely.

The sin is tying us up. Its like trying to run the race with your shoelaces tied together. You are going to trip, stumble and fall, with every step you take.

Now I’m not saying you’re going to be perfect. All of us are going to stumble and fall into sin. That’s part of waring against our flesh.

What I’m saying is that wherever you find sin in your life, throw it off. Put it to death. Get rid of it.

If you hope to persevere, that perseverance looks like refusing to be complacent with your sin and allow it to linger in your life.

This ties back to what we just talked about.

Every area of our life must be brought into submission to Christ.

Weights

Weights on the other hand, is a word that just means burden. Something heavy that does no good other than slowing you down.

These are not sinful things or necessarily even bad things. They are just things that weigh us down and divert our attention away from Christ and His Kingdom.

Distractions. Things that don’t produce any value in our life for following Christ.

Now again, I’m not saying all you can do in your free time is read the Bible.

What I’m saying here is are there things you are giving a disproportionate amount of time and energy towards that don’t necessarily contribute to your faith or help you grow in Christ?

Its fine to watch TV or read frivolous books. Laying aside every weight does not mean you have to be on all the time.

But it does mean are you as fruitful as you can be? Not in terms of hypothetical possibility. Theoretically to be as fruitful as you possibly could, you would never be able to sleep.

The question is are you faithful? Is your life characterized more by a love for Christ or a love for this world?

And if not, how can you refocus your life to redeem the time, energy, and resources God has entrusted to you?

Looking to Christ

And finally, if we want to persevere we must look to Christ.

He is our Great High Priest who is able to help us in our time of need.

We don’t persevere by trying to white knuckle our own holiness and devotion to God.

We persevere by the power of love and grace of God in Christ.

When we look to Christ, that means we focus all of our attention on Him.

He is our Joy, Life, Purpose, Focus and Devotion.

Everything is for Him because he endured the cross for us. And He is seated at the right hand of the Father worthy of all of our praise and worship.

We persevere by His grace. He is the founder and perfecter of our faith.

That means He blazed the trail so He knows how to get there.

And it means that He is actively working in us by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring our faith to completion.

To persevere us to the end and bring us the promise of His salvation.

John 6:37-40 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

That’s Jesus’ promise. And that’s Jesus’ promise to you if you have put your faith in Him.

I know we can look at our life and think, would I really make it?

If all my worst fears happened would I still follow Jesus?

Not on your own, but by Christ’s grace you will. He will never leave you or forsake you.

He has sealed you with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee to bring you into His everlasting Kingdom.

Faithful disciples persevere because the Son Himself promises to persevere them.

Faithful disciples live wholeheartedly for Christ, persevere, and number 3...

III. Faithful Disciples Guard the Gospel

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

In these five little words, Paul probably has two big ideas.

First, Paul says he kept on believing.

In the midst of hardship, suffering, and trials, Paul kept the faith. He kept trusting in Christ. He didn’t give up but persevered.

But probably more pressing on Paul’s mind is another idea.

The word faith in the pastoral epistles usually is not talking about someone’s personal faith and belief.

Its usually talking about THE faith. Sound Doctrine. Orthodox Christianity. The Gospel.

Its the faith that was once for all delivered to all the saints (Jude 3).

So when Paul says, I have kept the faith, he’s saying, I’ve kept the gospel.

I guarded the good deposit entrusted to me.

I kept it from being perverted, twisted, or watered down so that all people might know the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here’s what this tells us. Part of hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant,” means we, each and every one of us, has a responsibility to preserve sound doctrine and pass it on to the next generation.

To keep the faith, the true gospel, even when it means hard work and hatred from the world.

God entrusts his people with the message of salvation.

And think about it. Why do we have the gospel we have today?

Because men like Paul died for it.

The early church kept it even as they were being thrown to lions and being burned at the stake.

The Reformers recovered it from the perversion of catholicism and passed it on.

And our Baptist forefathers were drowned for their commitment to the Word and their belief that only believers should be baptized.

We have the gospel, we are reconciled to God and able to worship Him, because men and women generations before us kept the faith.

The question we need to ask is, Who will keep the faith for the generations after us?

Right now, the Word of God is maligned, and biblical orthodox Christianity is despised. Even by so-called Christians.

There have been harder times for sure, but it is not easy to keep the faith, and its only getting harder.

But if we want to hear “Well done.” We cannot twist the Word. Water down the Word. Soften the Word to itch the ears of people that hate God.

We must commit to speak the truth in love. To reprove, rebuke and exhort all people to come to Christ and be forgiven of their sin.

This means two things, we need to preserve the gospel as has been given to us.

Like Jude says, we need to contend, fight for, and defend the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

And second, we need to actually pass it on.

To disciple our children and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

For every single member to take on and bear the responsibility to keep the faith and pass it on even when the world pressures us, and threatens us to try and conform us into its image.

Every single day we are building the road to Christ’s Kingdom. Everyday we are laying brick, after brick, after brick.

The road’s going to be built. The Lord’s promised that.

Are we going to be laying the bricks so that generations from now the church looks back and says, Thank God those saints kept the faith. Where would we be without them?

On the Day of Judgment, who will hear "Well done, good and faithful servant?”

Everyone who loves Christ and his appearing. The shining forth of the glory of His Name, gospel, and salvation.

And that love looks like faithful discipleship.

It looks like a wholehearted devotion to Christ.

Faithful Perseverance.

And preserving the gospel to keep the faith.

But lest any of us should boast, we will not hear well done based on our own power and faithfulness.

If we fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith it will all be because of God’s grace in us.

Remember how these three statements tie directly into 2 Timothy Chapter 2 where Paul commanded Timothy to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ, run the race, and labor faithfully like a hard-working farmer.

And right before those commands Paul put them all under this statement. Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1).

What that tells us is that this kind of discipleship, this Well done good and faithful kind of life, is only possible by God’s grace.

So that when we get to heaven and receive the reward of our salvation, no one is able to look at ourselves and say, "Well I was pretty great.”

All we will be able to do is say “God saved me. He changed me. And he kept me faithful to the end.”

But that doesn’t mean there’s not a reward.

What is the reward for people that put their faith in Christ and follow Him?

Paul tells us...

Everyone who loves Christ will receive the crown of righteousness on the Day of Judgment.

This is Paul’s big idea. All that talk of faithful discipleship? This is what its all about. This is our great hope.

2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing.

Peter calls this crown the unfading crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).

James and Revelation calls it the crown of life (Jas 1:12, Revelation 2:10).

And in 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul says this crown is imperishable. Never fading.

This is not some material object. This is our heavenly reward. Its life itself. Righteousness itself.

Its the glory, life, and righteousness of Christ given in full measure.

Think of it like this. If you place your Faith in Jesus. Turn to Him for the forgiveness of your sins, and live all of your life for Him, Jesus Himself will set this crown on your head.

And this crown is righteousness.

Righteousness is perfect standing against God’s perfect objective standard.

God is holy. And He demands perfect holiness from his image bearers. He made us to worship Him, and as our Sovereign Creator, He deserves it.

But we sinned against Him.

And now, None is righteous, no not one because none of us have perfect standing before God. We have all fallen short. We are all lawbreakers. Sinners.

People who deserve the Just and righteous wrath of God.

But through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ God pays for all our sin. The wages of sin is death, and Jesus dies on our behalf.

And through faith in Him, Jesus, the righteous judge, and declares us righteous before Him.

In Christ, every person that puts there faith in Him is Justified. We stand before the righteous Judge perfect, righteous concerning the perfect objective standard of God’s Law.

There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). All of our sin is paid for and washed away.

We get Christ’s righteousness because he lived a perfect and sinless life on our behalf.

And then he went and died the death we deserved to die under the wrath of God.

That’s why Jesus wore a crown of thorns.

Remember how God cursed Adam for sinning against Him. Thorns and thistles the ground will bring forth for you.

Thorns were the symbol of our rebellion against God and our of our condemnation for our unrighteousness. Our breaking God’s Law.

But out of love for us, Jesus came and bore our condemnation on the cross. He wore our crown of thorns, suffered, and died so that we could be forgiven of all our unrighteousness and crowned with His crown of righteousness, eternal life, and glory.

This is the hope that Christ has promised to you. And this is the hope Christ promises to give to anyone who repents of their sin and believes in Him.

Who says Jesus, I am sorry for my sin. I believe you died and rose again for me. Will you please forgive me? I am tired of living for myself. Will you help me live for you?

And then from that faith you live a life of faithful discipleship that we’ve talked about this morning. You run your race to the very end.

But for all of us believers, this is the hope that drives discipleship.

When we are living to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant,” this is what we are living for.

The crown of righteousness. Eternal life. Forgiveness of sins. And the hope of glory in eternity in Christ’s Kingdom.

Conclusion

This is how we finish the mission.

If we want to be disciples who make disciples who together hear “Well done,” then every single follower of Christ needs to strive in everything to say I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

That means we need to follow what Christ said, lay down our lives, take up our cross daily and follow him.

We need to persevere faithfully to the end, and run the race God has set before us.

And hold fast to the gospel not only in our own lives, but in passing it on to the next generation.

This is what it looks like to glorify Christ and follow Him. May God give us the grace to reject tame Christianity and live for the King and His Kingdom.

All of Christ for all of life, in everything.

Let’s Pray

Scripture Reading

Phil 3:7-15 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order 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 comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way.