Good and Faithful Servant
Monday’s Verse:
From 2 Timothy 4:7 ESV
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Paul isn’t bragging here. He’s testifying. Testifying to a life poured out for Christ. He’s not saying he never stumbled. He’s saying he never quit. He didn’t walk off the track. He didn’t let go of the faith, even when it felt like a crucifixion all over again.
As Lutherans, we understand faith. It’s not conjured up in our hearts by our own good intentions or dogged determination. Faith is the gift of God planted in us by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s “keeping the faith” is not a trophy of personal accomplishment to hang on his wall. It’s the mark of the bloodied one who stayed in the fight.
That is the Christian life: not fanfare and accolades, but grit. Not the first one to the finish line, but the one who doesn’t quit. You may be crawling today, brother and sister. You may be crawling. But the race isn’t about speed. It’s about perseverance. By grace alone.
The death of a faithful servant like Paul is a sermon. Not a sermon about what a good person he was (though he surely was). It’s a sermon about what a good God we have. A life marked by Christ from baptism to the grave.
Let this verse encourage you: God is not calling you to be impressive. He’s calling you to be faithful. Keep close to the Word. Keep near the cross. And when your race is run, you will hear what Paul ached to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, You fought the fight and finished the race for us. Keep us faithful to the end. Strengthen us when we are weary, and remind us that our victory is in You alone. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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