“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” -Acts 20:24

Now that’s not a man talking from a recliner. That’s the apostle Paul speaking after shipwrecks, beatings, sleepless nights, and more opposition than most of us will ever see. And yet he says, “None of these things move me.”

Paul understood something we have to learn again and again: when you know your purpose, problems lose their power to paralyze you.

He didn’t say the trials weren’t real. He didn’t pretend the danger wasn’t there. He just decided that finishing his course with joy mattered more than protecting his comfort.

And friend, that’s the word for us today.

You have a course. God has given you a ministry. It may not be a pulpit or a platform. It may be a classroom, a job site, a kitchen table, a hospital room, or a front porch. But it is sacred.

Don’t let criticism move you.

Don’t let fear move you.

Don’t let temporary trouble move you.

Keep your eyes on the finish line. Live for something bigger than yourself. And when you do, you won’t just finish — you’ll finish with joy.

And there is no greater testimony than a life that runs its race faithful to the grace of God.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” -Hebrews 12:11

Let me tell you something we all know but don’t always like to admit — growth is uncomfortable.

Nobody enjoys correction. Nobody wakes up and says, “Lord, please stretch me today.” When God allows pressure, pruning, or discipline in our lives, it doesn’t feel good. It feels grievous. It feels heavy. It feels unfair at times.

But Hebrews reminds us to look at the afterward.

After the hard conversation.

After the conviction.

After the pruning season.

After the tears.

There is fruit.

God never disciplines to harm you. He disciplines to help you. A loving Father corrects because He sees what you can become. The coach pushes because he sees potential. The gardener prunes because he sees fruit coming.

If you’re in a stretching season right now, don’t quit. Don’t grow bitter. Let it exercise you. Let it shape you. Let it refine you.

Because afterward — not during, but afterward — there is peace. There is righteousness. There is strength you didn’t have before.

What feels heavy today may be producing harvest tomorrow.

Stay faithful. God is working in you, not against you.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” -2 Timothy 4:7

There’s something steady and strong about those words. They don’t sound rushed. They don’t sound panicked. They sound like a man looking back over his shoulder with peace in his heart.

The apostle Paul wasn’t sitting in comfort when he wrote that. He was in a prison cell. Chains on his wrists. Uncertain days ahead. But his spirit was unchained. Why? Because he knew he had given his life to something that mattered.

“I have fought a good fight.”

Friend, the Christian life is not a playground—it’s a battleground. There are days you’ll have to fight discouragement. Fight doubt. Fight temptation. But it’s a good fight when you’re standing for the right things.

“I have finished my course.”

God has marked out a lane just for you. You don’t have to run my race, and I don’t have to run yours. Just stay in your lane. Keep putting one faithful step in front of the other. Slow and steady still wins when you refuse to quit.

“I have kept the faith.”

That’s the goal. Not fame. Not applause. Not comfort. Faithfulness.

One day, when the dust settles and the race is done, may it be said of us—not that we were perfect—but that we were faithful.

So keep fighting.

Keep running.

Keep believing.

The finish line is worth it.