To the Finish Line
By Aspiring Missionary Delia Pruitte
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 KJV)
Can you remember a time where you began something, but did not finish it? Perhaps a hobby, a resolution, a degree, a chore, or an assignment? I admit, I am guilty of this. As a matter of fact, we all are. The truth is, there are actually plenty of good reasons to quit something we have begun. For instance, have you ever been speaking to someone, and stopped midsentence because:
- You forgot what you were talking about,
- You realized that you were in the wrong, or
- You could feel your emotions beginning to carry you away?
Don’t worry, I have too. And we are not alone. The Bible provides many examples of people who did not see things through to the end. Recall the stories of the prodigal son, King Solomon and the two prostitutes, and the instance where the prophet Moses’ wife intervened when God was attempting to kill Moses. In these examples, it was a good thing that the task was not completed.
This can be true of our lives. There are some things…that we just need to stop. Things that we do not need to see through to the end. Things like disrespecting others, ourselves, or God. Things like disobedience, and things like doubt. To continue in activities like these, is to find ourselves crippling and damaging the lives we were meant to live.
While it is true that there are things we do not need to continue to the finish line, it is equally true that too often as believers and Kingdom carriers, we lay down the things that God has called us to do, and we find it easy to use excuses to justify not finishing…and that is not okay. You see, when we accept Christ as our Savior, and profess Him to be the Lord of our lives, we are handed a mantle. We are called to carry that mantle all the way to the finish line. I would like to share with you something that you may not know about this journey to the finish line. I cannot stress enough how vital and urgent it is that we continue until we get there.
Think for a moment and recall the zeal that you first experienced when you were first saved. You started out running at top speed! You had no doubt that you had everything you needed to run. It is similar to an amateur runner. That boost of adrenaline has you leaping and sprinting at first. But it isn’t long before you feel that stitch in your side, the cramp in your leg…and the jig is up.
I have found as a believer, that I have had to pause after the adrenaline wore off and reassess my journey to the finish line many times. I will be honest and admit that more than once, I realized that I could not really explain who or what I was journeying for. Where was I going? What was the point? And where was the finish line, anyway? How was I supposed to know if I had gone far enough?
When I looked to God’s Word for answers, I was led to three passages. Matthew 24, where Jesus explains the signs of the world’s end, John 19:28-30, where the Lord died on the cross, and Philippians 3, where the Apostle Paul describes the prize of fully achieving the suffering and death of Jesus. In these three passages, the finish line was not a pot of gold. It was not riches, fame, or material success. I was shaken when I realized that the journey to the finish line did not seem to involve my fuzzy feelings.
I am so thankful to God! He showed me something about that finish line. Because Paul pressed to the end, he was able to encourage Timothy in the faith in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. Because of what Jesus endured from birth, to the cross and the grave, He could boldly declare in Matthew 28:18-20 that all power was given to Him.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus ran this race for us, and He has cleared the path for victory. With this in mind, we have a finish line to get to. In my mind’s eye, I keep seeing a mountain climber. If he climbs 10 feet up the side of the mountain, has he gone higher? Yes, but he has not reached the finish line. The same can be said of our journey. We must never be satisfied until we get all the way to the place that Jesus has called us to. We are paving the way for our families, our children, and our communities. We cannot afford to quit! We must perform what Paul describes in I Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
The world is watching, and we must continue to the finish line.