The last words coming from the lips of Jesus at His death. . . "IT IS FINISHED." Jesus had completed His life's mission. Salvation was being made available to us all with
His last breath. The price for sin was about to be paid. He had pushed Himself
to the physical limits; He gave all.
Paul pushed himself for a goal too. As he sat in a Philippian jail, he declared,
"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus."(Philippians 3:14 NKJV) Likewise, the writer of Hebrews, who may or may not have
been Paul, echoed this thought, "let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us." (Hebrews 12:1) All of this finishing and winning really has me
thinking.
Sometimes when I arise in the morning, I don't have much focus for the day. I
think about maybe doing some housework, maybe doing some yard work, or maybe
writing a while. On days like that, I don't accomplish much. I do not have a
definite goal, so I just do whatever feels right at the moment, which is usually
very little.
My life has had periods like that too. I really don't have any plans. I am
wandering through the days hoping I get something beneficial done. As I
reflect, those are really disgusting times in my life. I accomplished nothing.
I need a goal. I need to have eyes on the finish line. I need to be running
with all my might. Why? I don't want to breathe my last breath and realize my
life's mission was not finished. After all, my life is not just about paying
off mortgages, buying cars, and getting an education. It's not even just about
bringing up children to serve God or being a faithful church member, even though those things are important. When God created me, He put within me the characteristics needed to fulfill part of His bringing-salvation-to-the-world mission. I am a piece of the whole picture. I
have a purpose, "preaching the Gospel," wherever I go. Sometimes that includes
speaking; mostly, I preach by my actions. No matter how it happens, I need to
push myself to keep my eyes on my goal and run for the finish line.
Life is so short. How did I get this old? What happened to all of those years?
The finish line grows closer every day. Lord, help me to see clearly your
purposes for my life and to run with all my might toward the finish line. My
prayer continually arises, "Let me finish well. I need your strength and help!"
Today I am running with purpose. I want the first words I hear after this life
to be, "Well done." I'm running to win and not settling for less.
His last breath. The price for sin was about to be paid. He had pushed Himself
to the physical limits; He gave all.
Paul pushed himself for a goal too. As he sat in a Philippian jail, he declared,
"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus."(Philippians 3:14 NKJV) Likewise, the writer of Hebrews, who may or may not have
been Paul, echoed this thought, "let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us." (Hebrews 12:1) All of this finishing and winning really has me
thinking.
Sometimes when I arise in the morning, I don't have much focus for the day. I
think about maybe doing some housework, maybe doing some yard work, or maybe
writing a while. On days like that, I don't accomplish much. I do not have a
definite goal, so I just do whatever feels right at the moment, which is usually
very little.
My life has had periods like that too. I really don't have any plans. I am
wandering through the days hoping I get something beneficial done. As I
reflect, those are really disgusting times in my life. I accomplished nothing.
I need a goal. I need to have eyes on the finish line. I need to be running
with all my might. Why? I don't want to breathe my last breath and realize my
life's mission was not finished. After all, my life is not just about paying
off mortgages, buying cars, and getting an education. It's not even just about
bringing up children to serve God or being a faithful church member, even though those things are important. When God created me, He put within me the characteristics needed to fulfill part of His bringing-salvation-to-the-world mission. I am a piece of the whole picture. I
have a purpose, "preaching the Gospel," wherever I go. Sometimes that includes
speaking; mostly, I preach by my actions. No matter how it happens, I need to
push myself to keep my eyes on my goal and run for the finish line.
Life is so short. How did I get this old? What happened to all of those years?
The finish line grows closer every day. Lord, help me to see clearly your
purposes for my life and to run with all my might toward the finish line. My
prayer continually arises, "Let me finish well. I need your strength and help!"
Today I am running with purpose. I want the first words I hear after this life
to be, "Well done." I'm running to win and not settling for less.
