OK friends, whether you are a Kentucky Wildcats fan or not, you have to admire their overtime win against Mississippi State for their 26th SEC tournament championship. The Bulldogs of Mississippi State gave the wildcats every thing they had. They hit big shots, they rebounded, they played tenacious defense, they blocked shots, they did everything possible to win the ball game. As the seconds clicked off the clock, I’m sure most fans in blue thought the game was over. Then it happened, with 0.1 seconds to go, DeMarcus Cousins scored on a missed shot to send the game to overtime. When the buzzer sounded, it was Kentucky holding up the SEC trophy. Why? Coach John Calipari said it well when he said, “They have a will to win.”
The Apostle Paul had a “will” to win too.
In 1 and 2 Timothy, the man of God continually encourages believers to remain faithful to Christ till the end. Historically, many in the early church renounced their faith in Christ due to religious persecution from the Romans. Prophetically, according to Scripture, many in the last days will also turn from their faith in Christ. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4, “…in the latter times some will depart from the faith…” (vs.1). In 2 Timothy 4, Paul writes, “…and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.” (vs. 4). In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul states that the Lord Jesus will not return until there is first a “great falling away.”
A minister friend recently wrote a note that said, “I know that the apostasy is coming, Lord, don’t let me be a part of it.” My prayer for me, for you, and all believers, is that like the Apostle Paul, we have the “will” to hold to our faith until the final buzzer sounds and Jesus takes us home. Remember, it was from a Roman prison cell, awaiting his own execution for his faith, that Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
