For a long time now I've heard that it's not the start of your christian walk that matters but about finishing well and I've always been a stickler for knowing why things are the way they are, so this post is my answer to why it's important to finish well.
It's about the finish because when you reach the finish line you are able look back at your entire life rather than simply the time you have lived so far. You can see everything you have done and it's then that you see how every hard time in your life glorified God, what He was doing during the times where it felt like He was a million miles away. So what do you want to be able to say about your life when that time comes? And more importantly, what do you want God to say about your life?
You might think right now that because you want God to be pleased with you that you need to run well now but of course we've all heard that the finish is what's important but why? Why is it only the finish that matters? You see the start isn't what matters because you have only just begun to behold the glory of the Lord, the Spirit has only just started His work inside you and most importantly God has work for you to do, He is no where near done with you at the beginning of your walk with Him.
Every human who lives finishes since we all die sooner or later, but not everyone finishes well for most don't run the race for Christ, but we who trust in Christ run for Him and to glorify God. But the point is not to run the race of life from beginning to end and never fall or slip but to simply cross that finish line having not given up. If you run the race and with help from God you get back up every time you fall down until the finish line, your life has brought glory to God.
It doesn't matter if you fell down, it doesn't matter if there were times when you could barely manage to crawl or the times you weren't moving forward at all because to finish well doesn't mean you sprinted the whole way or that you were sprinting at the finish line, what matters is this: Did you keep going? When life knocks you down and you want to give up and quit the race, do you? Or do you ask God to pick you up and give you strength to go on?
If you have ever tried to get back into shape when you're extremely out of shape you know that after a nice excruciating run your lungs hurt and if you really pushed yourself you feel like... I hate to say dying since you really aren't but nothing else adequately describes it. You feel spent and have no energy left, the last bit of the run was sheer force of will keeping you moving.
To live life, especially the christian life with all it's trials, is very much the same and it will bring you to your knees but will you resolve to keep going? Your legs shake, your lungs gasp for air and you have a side stitch but are you going to quit? You only receive one life to live. And I don't mean the times when life takes you through the valley or the times it knocks you down and for a season you aren't seeking Christ as you should. There is a difference between pausing and quitting, though to pause isn't a good thing God knows we aren't perfect and if you pause you haven't given up yet unless you don't begin to run again, to quit is to never run again.
But if after a pause, a season of trial or whatever caused you to slip you choose to run on it brings glory to God, yes you just wasted some time off in the ditch but the point is that when life gets hard it was God who carried you though it. Trials and pain do leave behind scars but our Father doesn't see us as damaged after a season in the ditch, He sees the stories of grace those scars will tell.
So to finish well has to do with glorifying God in the time He has given you and if you gave life your all and weren't lukewarm spiritually the whole time. Which is to say did you complete the tasks He set before you? At the end what do you want to be able to say about your life? That like Paul the apostle you ran well? Or that you didn't?
Each christian will receive a reward for what they did in this life:
"So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" -2 Corinthians 5:9-10
We will receive the crown of righteousness:
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" -2 Timothy 4:6-8
The crown of life:
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." -James 1:12
The crown of boasting (boasting in Jesus Christ and for sharing the gospel):
"For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy." -1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
An imperishable wreath:
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." -1 Corinthians 9:24-27
And the crown of glory:
"And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." -1 Peter 5:4
So like Paul may we press on for the reward:
"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14
May we do all that God asks of us and glorify Him in all our thoughts and actions, may we finish well for the the reward we are promised is more than worth the pain of this life, for our greatest treasure is eternal life in the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ free from sin and sorrow. So when the world knocks you down don't give up for God will never give up on us and is faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to Him.
Thanks for reading,
Zachary
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