Keep Running

By Danny Saavedra

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. . . . Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 1:3–6, 3:12–14 (NIV)

When I think about finishing strong, my mind goes to sports. I think of the 2017 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Down 28-3 late in the third quarter, the Pats looked cooked. But Tom Brady and company rattled off 31 unanswered points to win it. What we saw here was the greatest quarterback ever dig deep, the receivers run sharper routes, the line block harder, and the defense clamp down. I think of Michael Jordan’s famous flu game—which apparently was not the flu but food poisoning according to the Bulls’ trainer at the time. It was game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, and MJ was visibly ill; he was dehydrated, exhausted, glassy-eyed. But that didn’t stop him from dropping 38 points (13-27 FG, 10-12 FT) with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, leading the Bulls to a 90–88 win over the Jazz with his late go-ahead 3 sealing it. The Bulls would then go on to win the Finals.

These kinds of moments define a legacy. They show us what it means to finish strong . . . not giving up, not coasting, but pressing with everything you’ve got until the end.

That’s the picture Paul paints in Philippians. He starts with gratitude: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” He looks back and remembers the partnership, the stories, the faithfulness of God in the past. But then he looks forward. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” In other words: The race isn’t over; God isn’t done.

This is so important because sometimes we live as if the work is finished when it isn’t. We look back on past seasons of growth, past revivals, past blessings, and we think that was it. And we say stuff like, “I miss the good old days,” “It was so much better back then,” or “I wish it could be like that again.” But Paul reminds us that God isn’t a “one and done” God. The same hand that began a good work in your life is still moving. The same Spirit that drew you to Jesus is still sanctifying you. The same Father who called you His child is still shaping you for glory.

And here’s the truth: Legacy isn’t just about what we leave behind . . . it’s about what we press toward. In Philippians 3, Paul again reminds us that he isn’t there yet; he hasn’t arrived. The work was still being done in him through the Spirit, and so his work wasn’t done, either. He says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” That’s the call. To lean forward like a runner at the end of a race and strain with everything we’ve got . . . not to earn salvation, but because Jesus has already taken hold of us.

Maybe you’ve stumbled in your faith. Maybe you’ve dropped the baton at times, or forgotten the stones of remembrance, or neglected the daily discipleship in your home. Paul would say: Don’t stay there. Forget what’s behind and press on.

Why? Because Christ Jesus has taken hold of you. Because God Himself has promised to carry His work in you all the way to completion. You can’t change the past, but you can allow God to shape the future in a new way.

That’s the kind of confidence that fuels perseverance. It’s not confidence in ourselves, our discipline, or our track record; it’s confidence in Him. The same God who split seas, toppled walls, raised the dead, and sparked revivals has promised to finish what He started in you. He’s faithful, friends. He’s not done with you; your best days aren’t behind you! God has more than you can possibly imagine ahead of you, and since He’s the One who started the work in you, He’ll see it through.

So, here’s the challenge: Don’t get stuck in the brokenness of the past. Press on knowing He redeems, restores, and makes all things new. Don’t just look back at what God has done with nostalgia. Look forward with faith, knowing He can and will do it again! Don’t just pass the baton. Keep running your leg. Don’t just set up stones. Keep straining for the prize. Don’t just teach diligently. Keep pressing on to maturity in Christ. If you’re still breathing, God has more in store. And the finish line you’re striving toward, that you’ll one day reach, is to be in glory with Jesus!

So, run, remember, proclaim, and disciple. Keep pressing, because He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. And on that day, when the race is done, when the prize is ours, when we see Jesus face to face, every baton pass, every stone of remembrance, every prayer of “Do it again” will echo into eternity with joy.

Pause: Where do you need to stop looking back and start pressing forward in your faith?

Practice: Take one step of “pressing on” today. Maybe it’s restarting a spiritual habit you’ve let slip. Maybe it’s discipling someone younger in the faith. Maybe it’s sharing a testimony that reminds you God’s still at work. Don’t stay stuck in the past—run forward into what God’s doing now.

Pray: Father, thank You for the good work You’ve started in me. Thank You for the legacy of faith that’s been passed to me and the moments of remembrance that mark my journey. Thank You that You always finish what You start and that no matter how unworthy I am, You never give up on me. Help me not to get stuck in the past, but to press forward with faith, knowing You’ll finish what You started. Strengthen me to run with endurance, to disciple faithfully, and to strain toward the prize of seeing Jesus face-to-face. Amen.