Finish Strong!

“Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent Me, and from finishing His work.” (John 4:36 NLT)

Regardless of our age none of us knows for sure how close to the finish line of our lives we are. One of my uncles died on a ship in Pearl Harbor at the ripe old age of 17. He’d lied about his age to get into the Navy and his life was sacrificed for his country a short time later. Age is irrelevant when it comes to dying. For someone to base their decision whether to follow Jesus on their age is to walk on very thin ice.

Many of my friends in high school told me they wanted to “live their life” before they turned to God, only to die in Viet Nam or in an accident before they finished college. Life is fragile and must be handled with care. The truth is a person can wait too long. Jesus said in Luke 13:25: “When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’”

If you haven’t yielded your life and allegiance to Jesus, PLEASE, I IMPLORE YOU to not wait another second. Please believe me when I say, you won’t be giving up anything but your sin, and you’ll be gaining everything worth having, including life eternal with the only One who loved you enough to die for you!

And if you know the Lord, I IMPLORE YOU to finish strong for Jesus! “But how?” you may ask. First, by Praying with more boldness! Pray with expectation and anticipation that what you’ve asked God to do He’ll do. I’m asking the Lord to save my loved ones and neighbors, so He’s laid on my heart to write each one whose name I know a note. If I’m praying for them, I have to believe He’s working in their heart and mind, readying them to receive the words He’s giving me to share with them.

We are coupled with the Holy Spirit to carry out God’s will. We don’t do it alone and the Spirit won’t do it without us. Dick Eastman said years ago, “Behind the saving knowledge of every believer is someone praying.” So, if you’re praying, listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying to you about what your part is in their salvation.

Second, we finish strong by Living with more abandon! This issue with life isn’t simply having a heart that beats and lungs that breathe. Life is what we accomplish for the Lord, so we need to care for our body and nurture our spirit. Living with abandon means putting your “yes” on the table before you know what you’re saying “yes” to. As a soldier in hostile territory, must be ready to respond to orders at any second.

In these moments before the Lord returns, we can’t afford the luxury of selfishness. This life is not our own, so when the Lord says, “Do this,” our only suitable response must be “I’m on it, Lord?”

Then, third, to finish strong we must Love with more intentionality! That essentially means we need to take as many as we possibly can across the finish line with us. Who’s in your pipeline of people you’re leading to Christ? Nurturing in their new faith? Struggling with a problem that’s holding them back?

Our faith race was never meant to be run alone. Jesus is our model, and He ran His race with 12 men and many others who surrounded Him, listening to His words, obeying His directives, and dying in His service. Will the Lord demand we give our life for Him? Maybe not in death, but certainly as long as we live.

Jesus said in Mark 8:35: “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” I don’t want to burn out, I want to wear out.

Let’s finish strong by wearing out in His faithful service – together!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊