Fight The Good Fight With All Thy Might

Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy Strength, and Christ thy Right;
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace,
Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the Path, and Christ the Prize.

Cast care aside, upon thy Guide,
Lean, and His mercy will provide;
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its Life, and Christ its Love.

Faint not nor fear, His arms are near,
He changeth not, and thou art dear.
Only believe, and thou shalt see
That Christ is all in all to thee.

John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1863

How do we encourage the downhearted?  What do we say in the midst of defeat?  “cheer up, it could be worse”, “there’s plenty more fish in the sea” or (in particularly Kiwi mode) “harden up”?

Monsell in this well known hymn employs 4 means of encouragement.

1. Fight with all your strength – but know that the strength with which you fight comes from relationship to God in Christ Jesus.
2. Know where you are headed and how you are getting there – the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ is not simply the way we become Christians, it is also the way we walk and the destination to which we are headed.
3. In real weakness lean upon the strength of the Loving Saviour and discover the depths of His Love and Salvation.
4. When you are fearful remember the reality that everything for the Christian is a way that leads to more of Jesus.

How great is that?  What is more these words are a reflection on the final words of the apostle Paul – he faces apparent failure with many having deserted the gospel and him, he faces real weakness with winter coming and he faces real fear as he must give an account of himself before Caesar. In Jesus there is a great hope for us all.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:6-8