Fought the Fight

Paul continues his final words before death with this, "I have fought the good fight," and with this statement he can face death with peace and contentment. The word he uses for fight is agon (long o). The word refers to a match held in the arena. Fighting the good fight refers to doing the best he can.

Paul says that he has performed well, to the best of his abilities. He has no shame with his performance. An athlete who has truly done the best they can, who has given all they have, can hold their head high. Win or lose there is no disgrace or shame because they have given it all they have. They have poured all of their strength, skill and energy into their event holding nothing back. There is no shame in defeat to a worthy opponent who you have pushed and held your own against.

Paul tells us that he can face death because he has no shame. He has given it his all, performed admirably and held his own to the end. In a life lived to the best of it's ability, lived in a way that refuses to be associated with anything shameful, we can say this at the end.

My friend Linda could say this. Whatever she did was to the best of her abilities. Linda decided once she would make a porcelain horse. She entered it in a contest and it won. She was looking for a painting for her living room. No one could paint good enough for her, so she painted her own, and it looked great. She had the most incredible singing voice and lead the church praise team and choirs. She was an incredible cook. She invited us for lunch one day after church, we were going to have sandwiches. Instead of just laying out the bags of meat, cheese, and bread, she arranged it all on a platter, rolling each slice of meat as a catered platter would look. That was how she did things, to the best of her abilities.

She was able to tell you when you were making a mistake, not because she never made any, but because she lived a righteous life. She lived in such a way where no one could say anything bad about her. Her life was lived to the fullest, giving her best at whatever she did. Living a life focused on the glory of God. She truly fought the good fight.

Live in a way the is without shame. Live above the standards of the world, strive for the standard of righteousness which is attained through the blood of Christ. Fight the good fight.

Peace be with you