Joseph Okello August 1 · Edited WHAT DOES KEEPING THE FAITH MEAN? Last evening, I lost a Dear Friend of mine. He succumbed to an illness he had been battling with for some months. Now if I were to pick one verse from the Bible that would describe what I believe would be his final words to me, especially after all that he had gone through these last few months, it would have to be 2 Timothy 4:7. In 2 Timothy 4:7, the Bible says, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the FAITH. Now I know what it means for a person to fight a good fight, and I certainly know what finishing ones course in life is. But what does it mean for a person to keep the faith, especially in regard to my friend who has passed on to glory? As I sit here at his home and reminisce over the many times of fellowship that we shared as we poured through the scriptures, I believe I now understand what it truly means for a person to keep their faith. You see, my friend had a tremendous passion for the Word of God - in fact, there is hardly a day that I walked into his office and his Bible wasnt open. He was also a tremendous prayer warrior. This love he had for God then flowed out and manifested itself in a passion for missions and evangelism. So in light of all these qualities that my friend had and in light of the wealth of revelation knowledge that he possessed concerning the scriptures and the ways of God, you can probably bear with me when I say that my friend was the last person I thought would ever succumb to an illness. I know how firmly he stood on the Word of God and I know how passionately he prayed. So you can understand if I was just a little flustered over his death. Nevertheless, in spite of all that has happened, today, my friend has spoken to me through the scriptures - he has spoken to me through 2 Timothy 4:7. Through this scripture, my friend has said to me, Joe, I have kept the FAITH. What does that mean? I ask him. He smiles at me and then says, It means that in spite of what has happened, I still BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ. It means that in spite of the fact that it was through an illness that I went on to be with the Lord, I still BELIEVE that God is a Healer. It means that in spite of all that I have gone through, I still BELIEVE in the Word of God, and it is this FAITH that has finally brought me home to my Savior. This faith has brought me to a place so great and precious that it far outweighs any desire I have for physical healing. So Joe, I have not kept the faith in vain. God has not let me down - He has been more than faithful to me. I have kept the faith. So today, through my Dear Friends testimony, I have learnt something I never knew about keeping the faith. I have learnt that keeping the faith does not mean believing in the Word of God until you get what you want. Rather, it means believing in the Word of God no matter what happens. So my friend has kept the faith. Till his last day, he continued to believe and stand upon the Word of God. So I too will keep the faith. I may not be able to explain or give a biblical reason behind everything that happens to me in life, but one thing I will always be sure and confident about is that God is GOOD; He is a FAITHFUL and LOVING God. Why? It is because I have a friend in heaven who is standing among a numerous cloud of witnesses all of whom testify that no matter what happens in this life, always know that God is faithful. So sickness will not keep me from believing that God is my Healer - I will keep the faith. Financial struggles will not keep me from believing that God is my Provider - I will keep the faith. When lifes pressures overwhelm me, it will not keep me from believing that I am more than a conqueror through Christ - I will keep the faith. In all things, I will keep on standing and believing in the Word of God. I too will keep the faith. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us put aside every weight and the sin that clings to us so closely, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking unto Jesus - the author and finisher of our FAITH... - (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 07:51:28 +0000
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