Paul knew that he would soon be killed because he loved and served Jesus.  However he describes his coming death as a willing sacrifice of praise, like a drink offering.  In the Old Testament, with each of the animal and food sacrifices, strong wine should also be poured out as a drink offering to express joy at the goodness of God who had granted forgiveness through the sacrifices (Exodus 29:38-41).  

The wine was also a reminder of the blood which had already been poured out from the sacrificed animal, a visual prompt that without the shedding of blood there was no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22) and pointing forward to the atoning sacrifice of Christ.   At the Last Supper, after the meal, Jesus lifted the fourth cup – the cup of praise (Luke 22:20).  Having spent his ministry preaching about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Paul was glad to pour out the last bit of his life in praise and thanks to God.   

The apostle looked back on his life.  It had not been easy, but the Lord had helped him to fight temptation and the natural urges to give up in the face of opposition, and keep running well, as in an Olympic race (2 Timothy 2:3-5).  He had not turned his back on Jesus and was totally confident that Jesus would receive him.  He was not dreading that encounter because he knew that all his sins had been paid for by Jesus; instead, he was eagerly anticipating the Lord’s reward.
 
It is important to finish well.  Too many people start their Christian race well but then become weary or distracted away from a life focussed on meeting Jesus.  For Paul, that was his daily motivation through many challenging circumstances … “what will Jesus say when I meet Him?”  It is a good question for us all to ask.  So if we are being tempted to give up or to grow weary in the battle, let us consider how Jesus dealt with worse circumstances (Hebrews 12:2-3).  Paul wrote, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).  Let us make sure we do the same.