Finish Life Well
When we consider life in its entirety, how do we want to be when we end up in eternity? How do we desire to finish life on earth and be remembered? What is the ultimate goal in life? We know that it is not wrapped up in the things of this world. Our ultimate goal is to follow the leading of our great God and what He specifically has planned and created us to do to bring Him glory. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13–14…
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
The one specific thing Paul wanted was to press on toward the goal. This involved leaving some things behind so he could move forward to what was ahead. Paul was one who constantly evaluated his relationship with Christ to see if he was moving closer to the goal of fulfilling his ministry. Finishing well in life was the goal Paul had expressed in his final words to Timothy, indicating he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and had kept the faith. He maintained the mindset of a fighter, a finisher, and a faithful servant, themes that showed up in many of his epistles.
In 1 Corinthians 10:6-11, Paul revealed to us that much of what happened to Old Testament Israel was to serve as an example for us, to keep us from falling into the same patterns of unfaithfulness and idolatry so that we could finish well by learning from their mistakes. History has been plagued by a continuous falling away from God. We saw it in the extreme of Noah’s day where, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
The ultimate falling away led to:
Evil without exception…every inclination or intent.
Evil without mixture…only evil.
Evil without intermission…evil continually.
We saw it with Israel’s wanderings in the desert. We saw it where Joshua had to challenge the people of Israel to choose the Lord over idolatry. It always seems easier to follow after the ways of the culture around you than the ways that God has established.
We saw it in the times of the Judges, where the next generation raised up did not know the Lord or the things He had done (Judges 2:10). We saw it with the reign of King Solomon. He started out well, but didn’t finish well. His heart was ultimately turned away from God by his many pagan wives. Israel only went downhill from there.
We could go on and on about who finished well and who didn’t. But the lesson for us is that we must purposely consider how we will live out our lives to finish well and how God will be glorified by our words and our works.
Jesus challenged us to count the cost of following Him. If we are to finish well, we must be His disciple. We must love Him supremely, by our worship. We must follow Him endlessly, carrying our cross, in lordship. And we must, in heart, forsake all our own possessions, in stewardship. We are not our own; we are bought with the precious blood of our Savior. So we forsake all that we love, all that we are, and all that we have, so that we may become all that He wants us to be.
We don’t live just to escape pain and enjoy pleasure, but to seek and do the will of God. Stay close to Jesus and serve Him well. That’s how you’ll hear the words, “Well done!”
Pastor Tom Lathrop