As my Dad and I sit down the other night to watch Game 5 of the NLCS between the Giants and Cardinals, we started watching a couple innings into the game so we had to rely on the announcers to catch us up to speed on what had happened so far.
With three scoreless innings squared away, the announcers, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, provided a comparison between the two starting pitchers: Lance Lynn for the Cardinals and Barry Zito for the Giants. Lynn had posted 5 strikeouts, 1 walk and was working a no-hitter through the first three innings; Zito on the other hand had allowed several runners on base all of which threatening to score but somehow was able to work his way out of those tough situations.
Buck and McCarver were praising the performance Lance Lynn was putting on describing it as the potential to be his greatest start of the season, whereas Barry Zito could very quickly find himself being taken out early in the game. With all this having happened and being said, Lance Lynn goes on to give up 4 runs in the 4th inning and finds himself sitting on the bench as his manager felt like he had nothing else to contribute to the game.
Fast-forward to the 8th inning. Barry Zito is still pitching. The score is still 4-0. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are now talking about how they can’t believe they are witnessing this phenomenal display put on by Zito. There is a total and complete change in perspective when comparing these two pitchers. One started off hot but quickly faded away while the other started off slower and a bit shaky but got stronger as he went along.
As the familiar saying goes, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish (or slow and steady wins the race if you happen to be thinking of the tortoise and the hare).
Our dear friend Paul in the Bible had one of those shaky starts. Real shaky if you think about it. When he went around and was referred to as Saul, he had made a reputation for himself. He was known for persecuting and executing Christians. The very mention of his name struck fear in the heart of many Christians because of the thought of what he had done and was able to those who claimed and proclaimed the gospel of Christ. But as he was on his way to persecute the Christian leaders in Damascus, the Lord spoke to him from heaven and Saul was led to Ananias who was able to pray for Saul during his conversion. As Saul began to then minister in the very synagogues he intended to persecute, he was met with fear and doubt from the believers there. They didn’t trust that Saul had come to Christ, but thought that this might be a trap by making them think he was one of them. But after being affirmed by Barnabas, the believers began to trust Saul and worked with him to strengthen the churches and body of believers.
I can almost hear the announcers describing Saul’s life from the beginning:
“Well folks, today’s starter has some gritty, nasty and absolutely despicable stuff up his sleeve. Going up against the Jerusalem Believers, the Freedmen and Cyrenians send out Saul of Tarsus, one of the most feared men throughout the Christians in all of Jerusalem.”
“After Saul’s last appearance on the mound, we saw him finish the game by executing Stephen, one of Jerusalem’s star players. Next week Saul is scheduled to matchup against the Damascus Synagogue.”
“A surprising turn of events, Saul experiences a life changing move by joining the Damascus Synagogue. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and how well he works with his new team. If you remember just recently Saul flexed his muscle by executing Stephen in his last performance.”
“It is just unbelievable the change you see in Saul’s performance. Not only is he getting along with his teammates, but they are working together to form one of the most unstoppable teams in the game. Saul has officially changed his name to Paul to avoid any confusion with the player he used to be. Folks, this guy is turning into one of the greatest players I have ever seen. What a performance by the Apostle Paul.”
Many times in a Christian’s life, one can get discouraged by one’s “performance” as a Christian. We experience some shaky situations that test the faith and hope that we have come to trust in and rely upon. Or we have started with such enthusiasm that we quickly burn out because we get discouraged by the lack of tangible results or others excitement. The author of Hebrews describes the Christian walk as a race which we all run, “…let us all run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:1-2). In reference to running a race, the author of Ecclesiastes adds his wisdom by saying, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong…” (Eccl 9:11). A major key in the Christian’s life is to rely on Christ to be our strength and the one who makes all things new. We shouldn’t allow our past to dictate our future because in our life with Christ, the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17).
So how do we go the distance after having a rough first couple of innings in our walk with Christ? By not letting our past define the outcome of our future and by relying on Christ to be our source of strength enabling us to go the distance.