Pastor's Blog

Finishing Well

Pastor Steve Nash

We have nearly completed another year.  It has been a year of victories and defeats; it has been a year of wonderful surprises and horrible disappointments.  Some of you have experienced sadness and for others, jubilation or maybe a mixture of both.  Nevertheless, it is a year that is fading into history with memories both positive and negative.

The Apostle Paul declared near the end of his earthly pilgrimage, that he had “fought the good fight, had finished the course and had kept the faith.”  He had assurance that “a crown of righteousness was awaiting him when he would appear before God.”  Though the Apostle knew about the horrible execution of being beheaded was lurking, that didn’t seem to frighten him to the point where he became derailed by those thoughts.  He was going to a better place to hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

Life has its inequities but death its equalities!  Life is never fair but we were never promised it would be.  Our only call is to faithfulness, not success.  We leave successes to God.  With that thought in mind, just how can we be considered faithful?  What should be our attitude as we enter another year that maybe was missing in the past? 

We never know how much time we have left in order to make a difference with the talents, knowledge and wisdom the Lord has blessed us.  We may be young or we may be old.  In whatever stage of life, we will discover there are things we have started that must be completed.  I’m not speaking of the home repairs we haven’t completed; I’m speaking of having the hope of seeing our dreams fulfilled. 

At this time in our lives, we must do some “self-examination” in order to finish well.  We should ask ourselves the following questions:

·        Why am I in existence in the first place?

·        What am I suppose to accomplish?

·        What are the “essentials” and “non-essentials” that I am to be involved with?

·        Where am I going to get the time and energy to accomplish anything good?

Paul is saying that everything must come to an end and we must end that “something” on a good note!   He could say with confidence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I have kept the faith!”  His calling was to take the Gospel to the Gentile world.  Through much suffering Paul was faithful to the end.

Have you ever run a long distant race when you were younger?  I did so while in the Air Force.  There was a time I would run 3 miles a day 3 times a week.  I remember running 9 miles at one time and thought I would die with exhaustion.  The secret to running a few miles is to get the “second wind.”

Life is usually nor a sprint; it is normally a marathon.  If we fail to get the “second wind” we will not finish the race.  In our battle against the evils of our society, with a hope that there will be a return to righteousness in our nation, have we gotten the “second wind?”   Let me suggest that the “second wind” comes from God alone!  Hopefully we have come to realize that we can do little through our own efforts.  We need the “Wind of God” to flow through our souls and empower us to serve Him in the coming year!  The “Wind of God” is the indwelling Holy Spirit that gives us the power to finish well.  We must ask Him to enter our soul and be the refreshing “Wind” we so much need.

The Winter Olympics are coming in February.  The athletes who win the contests will mount their lofty platforms and receive their gold, silver and bronze medallions!  Paul said he would “receive a crown of righteousness” when he had finished his race.  I have no idea what awards are awaiting us; we only get a glimpse of that day, but I do know those awards are awaiting those who have been found faithful to the end!

Let me encourage you to consider one point of truth that will assure you a better year than the one that is fading.  Begin this coming year with a fresh dependency upon the Lord.  You may become involved with many of the same efforts you have in the past, but be sure your efforts and daily activity are orchestrated by the Lord.  Do nothing without His guidance and empowerment.  Enter into His work instead of asking Him to bless yours.  The efforts God is involved with never fail.  He can produce the success; we are only called to be faithful in His service.  If we daily remind ourselves of these secrets to success, it will be said of us some day that we have “finished well!”