Monday, June 27, 2011

Finishing Well

I preached yesterday on finishing well out of 2 Timothy 4:6-8. What I want more than anything is to hear God say well done to me.

This life is a race, according to Hebrews 12:1-2...not to cross the finish line first, but to endure or persevere to the end. "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..."

The apostle Paul endured to the end...and that is an understatement. We can gleam at least 3 things from his life in what he said to Timothy:

1. Fight the fight. We cannot stop fighting the war in the spiritual realm. Not each other, but Paul talked of that tug of war that every man, woman, boy and girl struggles with.

2. Finish your course. That doesn't mean we just grow old and die. But Paul meant that he had discharged his duties. He had finished all that God had assigned to him.

Have you finished what God has given you to do? Have you even started yet? God has a purpose and plan for everyone. Let's get busy to do all that God has for us to do.

3. Keep the faith. We sometimes like to think that Paul was extra- ordinary, and knew all that was to happen, and what he was to do each step. But he was a man just like you and I. What set him apart, in my mind, is that he kept believing God. Whether all was well or whether he was about to lay his head on the chopping block...God was still God in the eyes of Paul and His eternal reward!

Can you say that, that you have kept the faith regardless of circumstances? Is God still God when hell is all around you?

I always quote Hebrews 10:23 every day because it is the cornerstone of what God wants to do in my life: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised."

So there is still time for you to finish well. Read 2 Timothy 4 and let the Lord speak to you and encourage you to fight, finish and believe!

Facing Forward,
Stan

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