Finishing Well
The Apostle Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2Tim.4:7 He was used by the Lord to begin many new churches and write most of our New Testament. Philippians 3:12-14 “ Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, 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.” Finishing well does not always mean winning. It means enduring to the end. Beginning is so easy, all you have to do is fill out the registration form and show up. We do not have to be taught to win either. All of us want to win at whatever we attempt.
One of the greatest last place finishes ever was by John Stephen Akhwari of Tanganyika at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. During the race he fell, badly cutting his knee and dislocating the joint. Rather than quitting, he continued running. He finished last among the 74 competitors. When asked why he continued running, he said simply, "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish." Another great Olympic finish story is of Derek Redmond. In 1988, Redmond was forced to withdraw from the opening heat of the Olympic 400m contest only two minutes before the race was scheduled to begin. By the time of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he had undergone five operations. Derek got off to a clean start and was running smoothly when, about 150m into the race, his right hamstring tore and he fell to the ground. When he saw the stretcher-bearers rushing towards him, he knew he had to finish the race. Redmond jumped up and began hobbling forward despite the pain he felt. His father ran out of the stands and joined him on the track. Hand in hand, with Derek sobbing, they continued. Just before the finish, Jim let go of his son and Derek completed the course on his own, as the crowd of 65,000 gave him a standing ovation.
We have great Biblical examples of finishing well like Haggai who was 80 when he challenged and encouraged Nehemiah and Ezra to get busy and do God’s will by rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. And then there was the Apostle John who was exiled on the island of Patmos and penned the book of Revelation. In his last days he got so intimate with Jesus that he heard the Holy Spirit dictate this entire book. Consider also Abraham, Moses, and so many others that followed closely all the way to the end of their lives.
Corrie Ten Boon was in her early 50’s when imprisoned for helping Jewish people during the reign of Hitler. After being released, at age 53, Corrie began a world-wide ministry which took her into more than 60 countries in the next 33 years! She testified to God’s love and encouraged all she met with the message that "Jesus is Victor." She never married and was used mightily by the Lord to bring thousands to faith in Jesus. She also traveled with Billy Graham, who is another who is finishing well.
My friend Alberto Gonzalez was in my home with his wife Miriam last week and is 65 years old. He is the only employee of the Western Baptist Convention of Cuba and the outgoing President of the Convention. While hundreds of Pastors have left Cuba during the past 50 years of socialism, Alberto decided to remain in Cuba and do the ministry that God had called him to years earlier. He was also imprisoned for his faith during the 1960’s. He now has 3 children and 7 grandchildren all involved in ministry in Cuba. He told me recently that we in the USA have many things that he would love to have, but he has many blessings that we do not have. Most of us have never known the joy of suffering for the cause of the Gospel and do not know total dependency on the Holy Spirit for church growth and revival. God alone has supplied their needs; they did not have the option of obtaining things any other way except through prayer and waiting on the Lord. What a testimony of finishing strong.These people did not take the easy way out but finished well for the Glory of God and advancement of the Kingdom. Henry Ward Beecher said, “It is not the going out of port, but the coming in that determines the success of a voyage”.
If we are going to finish well we need to force ourselves to set some barriers and safeguards to insure that we stay the course. Safeguards such as:
- Stay in the Word of God every day, ensuring that we give Him adequate time to speak to us.
- Avoid enslaving and negative people who tear down what God is saying and doing in our lives.
- Be busy about God’s work. Get involved in a Bible study, a mission trip, and service in your local church fellowship.
- Be accountable to God’s people. All of us need a Nathan in our lives (King David 2 Sam 12:1-14). My wife, Deborah is
an incredible accountability partner for me and I also speak with 2-3 peers each week.
- Root up and repent of any known sin.
Phillipians 1:6 Being confident of his, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
