Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Scripture: 2 Timothy 4.7-8a
I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion’s wreath that is
awarded for righteousness is waiting for me.
Devotion:
I’m of an age that I have very vivid memories of when McDonalds came out with the McFlurry for the first time. The commercials on TV exploded with images of the mini M&Ms and Oreos blended smoothly in McDonald’s delicious cold cream, and recess at school was filled with other children bragging that their parents had taken them for their first taste of frozen perfection. My brother and I begged my mother to take us to McDonalds for our first McFlurry, but of course, as we all know happens in the adult world, that weekend was full of important, boring chores and errands that had to be done. My mother made us a promise: if we were on our best behavior, she would buy us each a McFlurry. Listen, y’all, my brother and I have never behaved better. We never fought, we were quiet in the professional offices we had to sit in, we didn’t ask for any toys or candy, and we didn’t complain, even though it was, quite honestly, one of the most boring days of my life. In the end, we got our reward: a McFlurry sent straight from heaven that did not disappoint. With the potential reward of McFlurry in our mind, we did everything we could to prove
ourselves worthy.
At first glance, this week’s scripture seems to be offering the ultimate McFlurry for a life of good behavior. It’s not an unfamiliar formula for us: if we do good, if we fight the good fight, if we keep the faith, we will be rewarded in heaven. But…something doesn’t sit quite right with that for me. If we’re only being good Christians on earth so that we get a personal reward, isn’t that kind of selfish? If we are only kind to our neighbor because we are hoping that we’ll get a “champion’s wreath” (the ultimate McFlurry) for it, isn’t that kind of shallow? Is this really what this scripture is all about? Join me on Sunday at 10am as we wrestle with this text and consider what it really means to fight the good fight and keep the faith.
I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion’s wreath that is
awarded for righteousness is waiting for me.
Devotion:
I’m of an age that I have very vivid memories of when McDonalds came out with the McFlurry for the first time. The commercials on TV exploded with images of the mini M&Ms and Oreos blended smoothly in McDonald’s delicious cold cream, and recess at school was filled with other children bragging that their parents had taken them for their first taste of frozen perfection. My brother and I begged my mother to take us to McDonalds for our first McFlurry, but of course, as we all know happens in the adult world, that weekend was full of important, boring chores and errands that had to be done. My mother made us a promise: if we were on our best behavior, she would buy us each a McFlurry. Listen, y’all, my brother and I have never behaved better. We never fought, we were quiet in the professional offices we had to sit in, we didn’t ask for any toys or candy, and we didn’t complain, even though it was, quite honestly, one of the most boring days of my life. In the end, we got our reward: a McFlurry sent straight from heaven that did not disappoint. With the potential reward of McFlurry in our mind, we did everything we could to prove
ourselves worthy.
At first glance, this week’s scripture seems to be offering the ultimate McFlurry for a life of good behavior. It’s not an unfamiliar formula for us: if we do good, if we fight the good fight, if we keep the faith, we will be rewarded in heaven. But…something doesn’t sit quite right with that for me. If we’re only being good Christians on earth so that we get a personal reward, isn’t that kind of selfish? If we are only kind to our neighbor because we are hoping that we’ll get a “champion’s wreath” (the ultimate McFlurry) for it, isn’t that kind of shallow? Is this really what this scripture is all about? Join me on Sunday at 10am as we wrestle with this text and consider what it really means to fight the good fight and keep the faith.