Finish Faithfully

The Apostle Paul knew his finish was good before he died. He even wrote that he “fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith.” Not everyone can say they know how they are going to finish. Why? – Not everyone is intentional about finding their destiny in Christ; churches are full of good people with no idea how to fulfill their life’s purpose.

Your purpose is not your job or your paycheck. Your purpose is not your family or your comfortable home. Your purpose is not to teach Sunday School or show up in church every Sunday with a smile. Those things are the tools you use to reach your purpose.

What’s your purpose? To snatch, drag, tackle or lead lost people out of darkness and into light! People are dying out there, and many of us are more concerned about our tools. We need to get our eyes on the prize and be intentional. Thirteen years before his big finish, Paul put it this way:

“I am serious about finishing well in my Christian ministry. I discipline myself for fear that after challenging others unto the Christian life, I myself might become a casualty.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 PTV (Pastor Troy Version)

Paul was like, “Look. I’m not going to be a world changer then collapse at the end of this thing.” Paul disciplined himself toward his big finish. He predestined it through his dogged determination to follow Jesus no matter what!

Paul wasn’t living life to get to heaven. He was fighting to bring heaven to earth for generations of people. That’s you and me! The least we can do, heck, the best that we can do, is follow his example!

Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. – 1 Corinthians 9:24