In his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene Peterson said, “Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials. Our sense of reality has been flattened by thirty-page abridgments.” He went on to conclude: “It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest.” The point is well-taken. We need to be strong finishers!
Strong beginners are a dime a dozen. Strong finishers are few and far between. More important than the fact that the apostle Paul began his ministry with zeal and devotion is the fact that he finished it with determination. Near the end of his life, when he was nearing martyrdom for the cause of Christ, Paul wrote Timothy, saying, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future 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 Tim. 4:6–8)
When it gets right down to it, does it really matter how fast or how strong we begin our race if it remains uncompleted? Are we still pursuing the goal? Or, have we given up? These are the questions which matter most. The Christian race is not to the swift, but to the faithful. God does not expect us to run the race by our own power, but gives us the grace we need to finish the race by His power.
In order to be a strong finisher, we must “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us….” (Heb. 12:1) There are many things which would distract us from our most important pursuit. Trying to run the Christian race with divided allegiance is like running the 100-meter dash with your shoes tied together. We must put sin in its place and focus on Jesus! So long as our eyes are fixed on Jesus, the hardships along the way will not overwhelm us. His love will be our strength to keep us on course every step of the way.
— Glen Elliott —