Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians 3:17-19
At the 83rd running of the Indianapolis 500, American race car driver Robby Gordon was on his way to victory. The yellow caution flag went up and the drivers took a pit stop. But Gordon still proceeded with the final 37 laps even if he had only one tank of fuel left. On the last lap, he had to stop for a quick refuel. That brief time caused him the top prize.
In life, we can also run on empty but still force ourselves to go forward. We may get money and power but feel empty in the end. God wants us to emerge real winners in life and that’s why He invites us to His pit stop.
In His pit stop, we are recalibrated. Adjustments are made so that we don’t go off track. What are our priorities? What directs us? What is truly important in life?
In His pit stop, we are repaired. There are times when we suffer from hard blows that damage us. It could be a family problem, an illness, the loss of a job. These are major tragedies we need to recover from. God restores us.
In His pit stop, we are refueled. God inspires us with His word, giving us encouragement to press on.
We cannot rely on sheer willpower to finish well. We need God’s power. Only with Him will we emerge real winners, displaying His redemptive work in our lives. That’s the strong finish!
We’ll be faithful to our calling
For You are able to keep us from falling
For in Your promise
We will trust
You’ll be faithful to finish
The work that You began in us
- We’ll Be Faithful by Don Harris and Martin J. Nystrom
Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Ed Rowell
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