Yesterday afternoon I went out on my bike. It turned out to be a hard ride. It was hot. The wind was pretty strong in my face for most of the ride. At one point I thought about quitting and calling my wife for a ride home. Instead, I fought on and finished my 32 miles feeling much better about myself.
As I reviewed the ride in my mind, it struck me as a parable of life. Life is a gift and there is much that is wonderful and beautiful about it, even as it's a wonderful thing to be out on the bike on a sunny day. Nevertheless, life is hard. Even in the midst of wonder, beauty and joy, difficulties arise. Hardships hit us like steep hills rising ahead. Challenges confront us like riding into the teeth of a strong head wind in scorching heat.
In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul writes: "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." When I read this verse I thought about the Confirmation Service I took part in on Saturday afternoon. 60 young people from Concordia made a "good confession", committing their lives to Christ, professing their faith in God and promising to be faithful, even to the point of death.
If they are going to remain true to their confirmation vows they will have to do as Paul said and "Fight the good fight of faith." If they want to take hold of eternal life they will have to persevere in the face of many temptations, trials, and tribulations.
Paul told Timothy to pursue "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentlenss." We pursue righteousness when we seek Christ, godliness when we are obedient to His will, faith when we immerse ourselves in God's Word, love when we put into action the love Christ has shown us, endurance when we persevere even though it is difficult to remain faithful, and gentleness when we submit to God's will for our lives. This is how we fight the good fight of faith.
My prayer for our confirmands is that they will not give up or give in, but will persevere, fighting for their faith even when it is very hard to do. My prayer is the same for you. We all face challenges, from as insignificant as finishing a difficult bike ride, to as significant as working to save a crumbling marriage or rescuing a rebellious child. When these challenges seem overwhelming, don't give up. Fight the good fight of faith. In the end it will be worth it, because you will be laying hold of eternal life.
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