Jump Start # 1846

2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”

Richard Nixon. Barry Bonds. Bill Cosby. Bill O’ Reilly. There are two common threads connecting all of these names. First, they were all public figures who achieved great success in their fields. They were superstars. Second, each of them is now associated with a cloud of suspicion. Nixon resigned because of a scandal. Bonds used steroids. Cosby connected to drugging women and having sexual relations with them. O’Reilly was fired because of sexual abuse. These names will forever be linked to the trouble associated with them. Each of their careers did not end with honor and respect that we’d think comes after a lifetime of service.

Biblically, we could find a similar list. King Saul. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu. Judas. Diotrephes. To mention these names almost automatically takes our mind to the wrongs that they did. King Saul died in disgrace having had the kingdom taken from him for his disobedience. Aaron’s sons were struck dead by God for offering a strange fire in worship. Judas, chosen by Jesus, betrayed him and committed suicide. Diotrephes, selfishly took over a church and ran it to his liking.

Our verse today identifies the three “I have” statements of Paul’s life. The middle statement, “I have finished the course,” is where our thoughts are at today. Finishing strong. Finishing well. It’s easy to start things. It’s hard to stay with it and finish it. Starting a book is easy. But reading the entire book, that’s hard. Starting a diet, easy. Sticking with it and finishing the diet, that’s hard. Starting a budget, easy. Sticking with it to complete your financial goals, that’s hard. Starting college, easy. Sticking with it to finish your degree, that’s hard. Starting a running race, easy. Finishing that race, hard.

Maybe this is why Solomon declared that the end of the matter was better than the beginning. We are surrounded with projects, books, movies, diets and budgets that we all have started, but we never completed them. We didn’t finish.

Paul’s “I have finished the course,” is addressing the most important thing one can complete in life, his journey with the Lord. To remain faithful, dedicated, committed and obedient to Jesus, from start to finish, that’s not easy. We all know far too many among us who were baptized into Christ and began that journey only to drop out. They quit. They returned to the world. Some crashed their marriages in the process. Some left a trail of destruction. Some had severed as elders, others had preached. But they are now known for the trouble at the end rather than all the good that they have done.

How do we finish the course? How do we end well? How do we keep from being another causality of Satan? This is not just about legacy, how we will be remembered, but it’s also about influence and example. What footprints are we leaving for our family and others to follow? We start strong, but do those footprints fade or do they actually turn away from the cross? And, most importantly, if we do not finish the course, we do not get Heaven. It’s that simple. A person who does not finish college will not get a diploma. You have to finish.

Paul’s life was touched with hardships. So will ours. We may not be abused and tormented for our faith as he was, but life is hard. There will be health issues, job issues and family issues. Problems arise down at the church house. Paul was also let down by others, as we will be. People disappointed him. He was abandoned. He was criticized. He was blamed. He was accused of false things. Paul was discouraged. He was even depressed at times. But what he never did was quit. He stayed with it. He finished.

How? How did he do it?

First, his faith was real, deep and in the Lord. His faith wasn’t in the church. His faith wasn’t in people, but in Christ. Jesus was always before his eyes. The Lord was good to Paul. He never forgot that. This is how we endure and keep going through hardships and disappointments. The Lord won’t treat you bad. The Lord won’t leave you. When a person quits, they haven’t just stopped going to church, they have given up on the Lord. Often, they point fingers at people or the church, but their stopping hurts the Lord. The Lord died for them. The Lord blessed them. The Lord was good to them. To quit, hurts the Lord.

Second, what he was doing was right. He knew he was making a difference, not only in his life, but also in the lives of others. Good was being done. This was God’s work and he realized that.

Third, weary as he was, he knew there was a wonderful divine rest awaiting him. He had to finish. How could he throw in the towel and miss all that he believed in. This is why he said that he “disciplined his body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” He had to do the very things he taught others. He had to listen to his own sermons. He had to be what he wanted others to be. To be disqualified is not to finish. He wanted to finish.

Fourth, he did not let others influence him to quit. There will always be those who tell you to take your foot off the accelerator of your faith. But you know better. So you keep teaching. You keep preaching. You keep inviting others to worship. You keep having families into your home. No stopping. No quitting. All of us know those senior saints, who are so engaged, active and busy in the kingdom. They have been doing things for decades. They will continue until health or the Lord stops them. They will finish. These are our examples. They are our heroes. This is what we need to become. Steady. Consistent. Busy. And, finishing what we started.

There is no T-shirt in Heaven for trying. There is no consolation prize. There is no second place or honorable mention in Heaven. It’s all in or not at all. Keep pushing. Keep reading. Keep praying. Keep going. When you see a weary soldier of Christ, encourage him, thank him, pat him on the back and try to keep him marching onward.

Finish. Finish strong. Finish well. Finish the course. We all need reminders like this. There are days when we just want to resign from life. There are days when parents do not want to not be parents. But you can’t quit. There may be days when your marriage really bugs you. Don’t quit. There may be times when brethren really get the best of you. Don’t quit. Keep walking with the Lord.

Finish what you started. The Lord is counting on you.

Roger