Finishing Well

    "It’s one thing to start something and another to finish it." I've heard that line throughout my life, but my fourth grade teacher said it the most often. Whenever we’d grow tired of completing our work or would do it half heartedly she’d break into her mantra, “Once a job is first begun, do it well until it’s done. Be it big or be it small, do it well or not at all!” For some reason, her philosophy made an impression on me, and hearing her repeat it only made me more determined to finish what I’d started.

     I’ve experienced my share of quitting, of doing sloppy work, of finishing, but not doing my best. And it wasn’t until becoming a Christian that I was able to somewhat grasp the importance of finishing well, realizing that God’s grace was the essential ingredient needed for perseverance. Before, I’d attempted things in my own strength. As long as my fleshly passion was strong I had the drive to get it done. But as soon as I lost interest in my pursuit, determination vanished.

     Both our girls run cross country, so I’ve had the chance to watch them run many races. One of the things I like best about them is the mass following of spectators from one place on the trail to the other. The crowd forms a wave of motion as we make our way from one location to the next, standing in one spot only long enough to cheer them on and then dashing off to the next visible place along the trail.

There's excitement at these curves and bends, but it pales in comparison to what it’s like to wait for them at the finish line. Anticipation is intense as we stand anxiously waiting, hoping that our runner will be next around the bend.
     The sight of them elicits both thrill and fear. With red faces, shoulders beginning to slump, they look like a wind could easily blow them off course undoing all they've accomplished. That is until their eyes catch a glimpse of the finish line. At the moment it comes into focus, an amazing transformation occurs in their expression, their demeanor. Now instead of focusing on how tired they are and wondering how much further they have to go, they get a glimpse of the victory awaiting them on the other side. Awareness increases, especially of those just in front and beside them. And the last vestige of energy is tapped as they oftentimes sprint with determination for the finish line. Pictures of our younger daughter, just as she’s caught sight of my face and realized she was almost done, are priceless reminders of this intense longing to finish well.

     Lots of people like to say that “life is a journey”. But, I think of it more like the apostle Paul did as a race…that we’re all runners competing for the prize. We’re running with a purpose to live our lives for God’s glory. We’re not just stumbling along, aimlessly going about life. We’re running with determination and drive to ensure that all we’ve been given is invested and used in the greatest way possible for God’s Kingdom. 

    I don’t know about you, but I want to finish well. Not only because I want to please Christ, but also because I’ve already invested so much into following him. I want to follow hard, close and fast. And more than anything, I don’t want to give up and quit before I’ve reached it there. I don’t want to get to heaven and realize that if I would have just persevered a little longer I could have seen fruit in my life or impacted others to make the kind of difference God intended. That's all I'm taking with me -- no possessions, no worldly treasures -- just spiritual fruit and blessings that come from abiding in him. This race called life does have a finish line. Though I can't see it yet, I know it's there -- just around the bend. And I'm certain  he'll be there, just as he is every day, cheering me on as I cross it and claim my prize.

     

“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 a get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I don not fight like a boxer beating the air." 1 Cor. 9:24-27

Holding Fast to Our Faith

     God commanded Joshua several times, “Be strong and very courageous" (Joshua 1:7-9). Taking the promised land was no lottery ticket prize but required strength of spirit and resolve to live by faith and not by sight. The battles the Israelites would face across the Jordan were not trivial, but threatened to undo them unless their eyes were fixed on God and his good promise that they would possess the land.

     Living by faith today in a hostile, post-Christian era is no less demanding. We don’t face the literal spear and javelin of the opposing army, but we encounter the same enemy who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He places obstacles across our paths, sends mockers and scoffers to discourage and assault us with weapons of despair and fear as we, often with trembling legs, make our way to the promised land.

      As the pressure of the opposition increases, we are often tempted like the Israelites were to doubt God’s Word and His ability to intervene on our behalf. Once fear has gripped us, our hearts are assailed by other doubts until we become convinced that God’s power was relegated to history and that what we’ve been declaring as faith is really presumption in disguise. We wonder if we’ve been fools to believe that this invisible God will part our Red Sea when the last one He parted was thousands of years ago. And as we stumble through this valley of doubt, the world, the flesh and the devil in unison make their proclamation regarding our faith, calling it archaic history and blind hope.

     Before we know it, the faith we once cherished comes unraveled like a loosely woven garment, and we find ourselves naked and exposed. We begin doubting  previous deliverances and answers to prayers – writing them off as mere coincidence or taking credit for them ourselves. Realizing our vulnerability and need for some sort of cover we grab garments of self-will as we muster up all that’s within to continue along this journey. Though we may not even realize it at this point, a major paradigm shift has occurred as we’ve taken our eyes off of God and put our hope in reason, logic, hard work or intuition. Like the Israelites, we've trusted in the strong arm of the flesh or looked to others who are stronger to help in our time of need (Jeremiah 17:5-6).

     As we daily make our way through each ensuing battle we no longer rely on courage to trust God – He’s become a trinket we carry along with us as a last resort or good luck charm (Isaiah 30:15-17). We convince ourselves that in order to survive in this world we have to rely on internal and worldly wisdom and strength. We commend ourselves for our successes, making certain that others see and recognize them as well. Before long, we forget about God completely as we mindlessly toss him aside for the spoils that we’ve picked up along the way.

     But the day usually comes when we encounter people who look a lot like we used to with their eyes fixed on Jesus – His kingdom and His promises. Inwardly we laugh as we recall walking the same naïve path of faith and hope. We feel pity for their lack of true wisdom and understanding until we see the light and life in their eyes -- the hope that upholds them and the faith which enables them to face the unknown, not with a sense of dread, but with joy.  And then we remember, as if waking from a dream, what it was like when we lived the same way – trusting Christ for everything and allowing him to lead us, provide for us and give us wisdom.

      We rub our eyes and try to forget, because remembering means we’ve been wrong and we have to change. It’s not easy going it alone, but it’s at least predictable we tell ourselves. Quickly we begin reminding ourselves of recent victories, trying to assure our restless heart that we’ve indeed chosen the only path of true success. And though outwardly we appear godly and victorious to others on the journey, deep within a knot swells and a longing tugs mercilessly at our hearts. As much as we try, we can’t forget the days when we walked humbly with God in dependence and trust -- when faith was all we had and God was our only hope. But, like the rich young ruler we keep going the other way – sad, but determined. Because living in our own strength for our own glory has become our god.

 “Take care brothers that there not be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is called ‘Today’, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast to the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.” Hebrews 3:12-14

Blessings and Trials...An Unlikely Pair?

    “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  Jacob uttered these familiar words as he wrestled all night with the angel of God, refusing to surrender until he received a touch from God. And he did receive a touch – right upon his hip socket so that from that day on he walked with a limp. But, God also assured him of his blessing, saying he would receive it because “he had struggled with God and with men and had overcome.”

Abraham had assurance from God that his offspring would be more numerous than the stars of the sky.  And God did bless him with his promised son. But part of that blessing was the trial of waiting upon the fulfillment of it for thirty years as he and Sarah lived like strangers in foreign lands. 

As the Israelites were crying out to God for deliverance and blessing while in exile, he assured them that his plans were to “prosper them and not to harm them – to give them hope and a future.” But, in the context of those promises, God also explained that they would go through seventy years of exile before they came to a place of humble submission before him, seeking him with all their hearts.

The prophet Jonah had the great blessing of taking the Good News to the Ninevites, but only at the cost of dying to his own fleshly desires and demands. David, a man after God’s own heart, was told the throne would forever remain with his descendants. However, shortly after receiving God’s anointing as Judah’s king, David was thrown into the intense trial of being hunted down by King Saul. One who might have been sitting on a royal throne was hiding out in caves and pleading with God for his life.
 Jeremiah, who was appointed as a “prophet to the nations”, was told by God that he'd been chosen for this job before he was even born. God gave him a weighty task of tearing down and destroying as well as building and planting nations. But, we know that this blessing didn't come without its trails. God reminded him at the start that “they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you.” Jeremiah, who we now know as the weeping prophet, was threatened with treason, thrown into a pit and left to die. He was often times overwhelmed by the difficulties he faced and the daily threats upon his life.

                And there are numerous other stories like these. Hebrews gives a brief accounting of them in chapter eleven saying, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”  We read on to find out that some were  “destitute, persecuted and mistreated…They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”  These men and women of God, mighty leaders in his earthly kingdom, were blessed with his divine presence.  They were given the Spirit’s power and wisdom. More than that, they had the sense of knowing that they were called by God for specific tasks in his kingdom. Their lives were purposeful, yet they had to suffer intensely along the way.

 Jesus was never one to mince words. In fact, Jesus promised his disciples that for everything they gave up to follow him they would receive back blessings in this life – and along with them persecutions. His own mother was called “highly favored” by the angel of God and considered herself blessed because God had done great things for her. But her life, from the moment of her divine assignment, also included  humiliation and eventually a sword piercing her heart.  Jesus himself, the very Son of God, did not have a resurrection victory without the shameful and painful death on the cross.

                Why does it seem that blessings and suffering are part of the same package or rather different sides of the same coin? Maybe because God means to bless us in a different way than we often perceive. Take a moment to visualize what you consider abundant blessings in your life. I can tell you what I picture: a happy marriage, profitable work, healthy children who love the Lord, faithful friends, family, lots of laughter, vacations, significant savings and investments. But, how does Jesus define blessings? He says in the Beatitudes that we're blessed when we're poor in spirit, when we mourn, when we’re meek, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when we're persecuted for righteousness sake. He goes on to say, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you, because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

                As much as I have tried over the past twenty-two years as a Christian I still cannot fully comprehend why these are to be considered aspects of the blessed life. I want to ride in a plush car on easy street eating bon bons and whistling happy tunes about Jesus. I am sorry, but I must confess that all this talk of suffering, hardships and trials makes me lose my appetite and, oftentimes, disturbs me. I  want so badly to embrace the lie that I was saved only to enjoy abundant life, not to suffer -- that Jesus’ experience on the cross means I don't have to endure pain and difficulty anymore.  In fact, much of the time I feel like the creature in Dr. Seuss’s book Green Eggs and Ham when continually confronted with the idea of eating such an atrocity. I want to shout in unison with him about these sufferings and trials, “I tell you I don’t like them!”

And though I often don't enjoy trials, I’m not the one to determine how God runs his kingdom. And, I, like Jonah, am not the one to tell him I’m not going to Ninevah if he calls me to go. His ways are not my ways and his thoughts are not my thoughts. Yet, in his mercy and grace he has revealed his heart to me in his Word and it is there that I get glimpses into his reasons behind the sufferings in life. He reminds me that the goal is not my creaturely comfort, though he promises to abundantly supply all of my needs. But rather, his goal is that I'm conformed to the likeness of Christ that I may receive “eternal pleasures at his right hand”. He speaks words of comfort to me as I endure trials saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 

The apostle Paul claimed that in spite of his suffering he didn't lose heart. He said, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” He focused on the goal of pleasing Christ and serving him rather than on what the would could give him.

God reminds us through this passage and others like it that the main purpose of this world is for the advancement of his kingdom and our sanctification. God is merciful and compassionate. He sends sunshine and rain to bless our crops. We often enjoy good health, happiness and circumstances that remind us of his smiling providence. But, his desire is that we have kingdom eyes that are focused upon Christ. One of the ways we learn to develop this focus is through trials and suffering. Difficulties cause us to loosen our grip on worldly treasures that give false security and place our feet firmly upon the Rock of Christ and his unfailing Word. Through suffering we learn perseverance. And James reminds us that “Perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  As we prayerfully look to the Father through life’s difficulties, giving thanks in all things, we begin to fix our gaze on Christ alone. Those things that we once considered treasures we learn with Paul to consider rubbish “compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.”

                Remember Christ’s promise? He has gone to prepare a place for us. And one day soon we will be with him joined by a host of angels shouting praises to his name. The moment we come into his presence, in the twinkling of an eye, the once double-sided coin of blessing and trial will be transformed into the spring of eternal blessing. Suffering will become a distant memory as God has promised,  “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat...And God will wipe every tear from their eye.”