I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul the apostle is imprisoned and sad because many people have deserted him. He senses that he will soon die a martyr death. In the next verse, he says:

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.

He trusts in the righteousness of God’s judgment and forgiveness of his previous sins. As you probably know, Paul used to prosecute early Christians but later became the biggest apostle, probably the most responsible apostle for the early spread of Christianity.

How nice would it be if we too could, in the face of death, say that we have fought a good fight, finished the race and kept our faith. What a peaceful way to die knowing you have served the Lord and are about to meet him.