Paul was on his way to Rome. He had appealed to Caesar. When the ship stopped in Miletus, he sent for the Ephesians elders. When they arrived, he told them that he would never see them again. He warned them that they would face hardships and attacks. He also committed them to God’s protection and grace. Finally, at the end, they knelt, wept, and prayed together.
As I was reading that in Acts 20, I was drawn to verse 24.
“But none of these things (the chains and afflictions that awaited him) move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” [Acts 20:24 NKJV]
It was that one phrase “that I may finish my race with joy” that called to me. Those two little words “with joy” are found in some manuscripts; in others they are not. But I think they were found in Paul’s heart.
Paul was looking to the end of his race, to finishing the ministry given to him by God on the Damascus Road. He had lived his life testifying about the Gospel of the grace of God found in Christ Jesus his LORD and Savior.
Despite the hardships he had faced along the way, despite the chains and afflictions that awaited him in the not-so-distant future, when that race ended, I am sure Paul knew it would end “with joy.”
Beloved, when our race ends and we see our Savior’s face, I cannot imagine it will be anything but “with joy!”
