Finishing well
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)
These are Apostle Paul’s infamous words in a letter to his young protege, Timothy, and I believe that many believers strive to be as confident as Paul when they say, “I have finished the race.” When we die (one day), we want to be able to triumphantly say that the work God has tasked us to do has been finished, much like Paul and much like Jesus Christ who said it on the cross so that all may know that the struggle with death and sin is truly finished.
In John 19:30, Jesus declares, “it is finished.” The ‘it’ here refers to the work that Jesus was commissioned to do while he was on earth. And he didn’t say these three words shyly or in any way lacking confidence. He knew that on that cross he had fulfilled the work tasked by God. How can we be as confident as Christ when it comes to our final days? How can we boldly declare that all our earthly work is complete? To know how, we look to Christ.
Finish the walk with God
God has created a path for us to walk upon in our lives. Everyone’s is different but it is always a path of righteousness.
… he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. (Psalm 23:3)
It is our task as believers to walk down this path. We might not know what it looks like, but we can trust that God will walk us down this path, illuminating each step as we go. This path will include times of joy, peace, rest but also times of struggle and trials. But how can we make sure we walk well with God?
Finish the will of God
Finishing the walk with God means finishing the will that God has for your life.
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. (Mark 4:34)
When you come to the end of your lives, how do you want to answer this question: did I finish my walk in this life according to God’s will? Every person has their own will in life, and sometimes it clashes with God’s will. As sinners who live in a broken world, we might actually find that our will clashes with God more than we can imagine. But again, we look to Christ as a model for our faith. He declared in Luke 22:42 that his will was God’s will. God’s will might take us down a path that the world deems a failing path; one that doesn’t lead to riches or popularity. But we look to God’s standards so that we can finish the walk according to his will.
Finish the work of God
Walking through life doing his will naturally means we would finish the work that God has set before us. The word ‘finish’ that Jesus uses on the cross is the same ‘finish’ that is used throughout the book of John. And finished it was. Final. Perfect completion. The ‘finish’ that Jesus declared is past, present and future tense meaning the work has been completed, is completed and will always be complete. The work of salvation that Jesus was tasked with is a finished work; nothing can be added, taken away or substitute it.
With all this in mind, let’s look to Christ as the perfecter of our faith and inspires us to finish the walk, will and work of God. Let’s pray!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for Jesus who went to the cross to finish the work you had set before him. Thank you that Christ was faithful in his walk with you and work for you, so that we could receive the beautiful gift of salvation. I pray that when I feel lost in this walk of life, I would look to Christ as my inspiration and motivation. Make known to me your will and the work you need me to complete before my time is up on this earth.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray,
Amen