Fighting and Finishing

The apostle Paul referred to the Christian life as a race, and in 2nd Timothy 4, as he neared the end of that race, he reflected, writing these words:
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.   Many make what seems to be a good start, growing up in the church, maybe even appearing live a godly life, but never experience the life-transforming power of God through salvation in Christ, and their lives do not reflect the dedication and obedience to Him.   Galatians 5:7-9 says: 7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.   Her life has been described as a cautionary tale, and on the eve of the Grammys, just hours after she had publicly sang "Jesus Loves Me" with a friend at a pre-Grammy party, pop superstar Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room.   How tragic!    The silence of a voice that moved a generation.  Whitney grew up in the church - her mom, Cissy Houston, was a famous gospel singer, and indeed the threads of her childhood faith appeared at various times in her career.   But, she developed a reputation for too much partying, substance abuse, and a turbulent marriage to someone who had a wild reputation himself.   And, while we don't know exactly what happened during those final few moments, we know that her death called attention to how she lived her life.  Some random principles we can take away from the life - and death - of Whitney:1 - "except for the grace of God go I."   We should never be so proud as to think that our lives are immune from sin and rebellion...except for the power of Christ released in us, because we are born into sin, we have a propensity to displease God.  And we don't have the right to judge whether or not someone is saved. 2 - We have to possess our own faith.   Whitney grew up in church and her family life had a strong spiritual thread...but just because we have a church background and a believing mom, dad, or grandparents, doesn't mean that their faith will carry us.   Each of us has to make that childhood teaching our own...my kids can't ride my faith into heaven.3 - Life is a marathon, not a sprint.  The apostle Paul spoke of finishing well.   And, we see people who may have attended church regularly years ago who do not sustain that relationship and never capture a passion for living for Christ.   And, we have to evaluate our walk with Christ - are we growing in Him, moving forward in Christ, standing still, or even drifting backward?   In fact, if we're marking time or treading water, the currents of the culture and the propensity of our flesh will cause us to move backward.  So, our challenge today - are we positioning ourselves to finish well?