THE FINISH LINE

I hesitate posting anything that is too personal or that some may critique as being self-serving. However –

I Was Just Thinking About – The Finish Line.

I was reading a blog posted by a man who has been in ministry for a very long time. Based upon those who participated in the recent Olympics, he wrote these words about the follower and servant of Jesus Christ as the finish line nears: “When God called you, He did so with the full expectation that you would be a winner, not a whiner — that you would finish the race with joy, not drop out along the way. Paul looked back on his life and ministry saying: I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). He was eligible for the prize … the crown.”

Facebook has some useful purposes - allowing one to recall and keep up with friends from the past is one of them. There are a few of us who began the ministry journey and race in September 1954. By God’s grace, some of us are still privileged to be engaged in ministry. Obviously, the youthful vigor has given way to a more measured pace. We realize the finish line is much closer. The spirit of former classmates and longtime friends is not one of being in competition with each another but being an encouragement to stay in stride and fulfill God’s calling upon us. We find ourselves claiming more of God’s promises, not the least of which is Deuteronomy 33:25, “As your days, so shall your strength be.”

A Biblical hero of the faith has been a model for me over the years. Caleb (Joshua 14) had been a faithful servant and Moses had promised him an inheritance. After helping others get settled, Caleb is 85 years of age and appeals to Joshua that he would like to face the challenge of settling in his inheritance. His appeal are words that I and the aforementioned ones who began this journey together in 1954 have great meaning: (Joshua 14:11-12): “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.” 

With this type of commitment, we continue on this journey toward the finish line. We may not be finish first but that is not our purpose. Our gifts and talents have not all been the same but we have sought to make use of them so that at the finish line we may hear the words of our Lord and Master (Matthew 25:23): “Well done, faithful servant.”

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.