And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who en­dures to the end shall be saved. Mark 13: 13
The epic battle of fists between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Mar­garito is over. Millions of people, especially the Filipinos loved the outcome especially when the fight­ers are unevenly matched in weight and height, with Manny apparently the underdog. But that’s where the difference ended because the underdog became the overdog af­ter the fight winning a unanimous decision. It also showed humane side of Manny, who did not want to subject his opponent for more punishment much longer, and even visited Margarito in his dress­ing room after and apologized. He said “I could have caused more damage to Margarito, but boxing is not about killing each other, it’s a sport of gentlemen warriors.”

The rigorous training and self-discipline had worked for both fighters, credit is also given to Margarito for enduring to the end and did not give up till the last bell even when the battle was clearly lost. Some previous opponents of Manny threw in the towel after they felt they could no longer fight, but not Antonio who might have hoped against hope for a lucky punch that might have felled Man­ny, but the champion did not give him the opportunity.

The life of a Christian in this world is a battle and a march for we are not pitted against human beings but as the Bible says in Ephesians 6: 10-20 against supernatural pow­ers. We read, 10” Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty pow­er. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breast­plate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fear­lessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an am­bassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
In our spiritual battle, God has giv­en us the equipment to use against our enemy Satan. He will use all means at his disposal, legal or illegal to get us to sin by deceptiVE devi­ous tricks to win us to his side. But he works for our eventual destruc­tion by hook or by crook. We cannot by our own win against Satan. Just like boxer Congressman Manny Pac­quiao who had Freddie Roach in his corner, we also need a Master Coach in our corner, and that one is Jesus Christ who had defeated Satan all the time. With Him by our side who can be against us and win?

Jesus said that we are to endure to the end to be saved. It does not matter if we are faithful halfway or two thirds of the way then quit walk­ing with Him because our previ­ous faithfulness will not count. The
persecution for those who follow Christ will be fierce and relent­less until the very end but the rewards are great for those who endure to the end. In that battle for life, many faithful will fall but their rewards will also be eternal life at the resurrection day. In 1 Corinthians 9: 24- we read, 24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

There is a big difference in the physical and spiritual race or box­ing match. In the physical race, all runners run and may even get to the finish line but only three prizes are awarded for the first, second, and third. There is only one champion in a boxing match or hockey game in the Stanley Cup. The title holder in boxing can hold his championship belt until he gets defeated. In the spiri­tual battle all the runners who fin­ish the course, and the boxers who endure will receive a crown of life and forever holds their champion­ship belts because they are worthy. Yes there is a disqualification also if we fail to hold on to our faith in God and turn back or drop out of the race for life. God knows the hearts of those who fall in the battle while holding on to their faith and He will reward them according to His wisdom.

The preparation for eternal life could be found in the above text. We have to have a full body ar­mor provided by God in our battle against the devil, and in the race we have to divest ourselves of spiri­tual impediments so that we could run freely. Jesus also gave us a commission before he ascended to heaven and his promise of his abiding presence. He said 8 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, say­ing, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

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