Skip to main content

Finish


Finishing is better than starting   Eccl:7:8

To start enthusiastically something is challenging. But motivational and encouraging. It involves courage and boldness. It is emulatable. But many of these enthusiasts who start well do not have the patience to finish it off. Plan well ahead to finish things off well too. Set aside all your pride and trust in the everpresent help. 
Phil:1:6 He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of coming of Christ Jesus. 
Yes it is said about establishing your faith in your heart. It also touches upon God's plans for you. Finding out God's plans for you is the key to starting well and finishing well. Those are the plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 

Do you get bored of His good and perfect will for you? Do you stop doing the things that you have been called to do because you don't feel like doing it? Have you lost interest in the things which you were sure once, that God had asked you to do? It might look insignificant like cleaning or arranging the chairs before the meeting or inviting people or praying for others (which no one would notice or acknowledge). 
Consistency is the key to finish well. 
Discipline is the mantra. 
Determination is what is needed. 
Self control is mandatory. 

If you lack any of these (almost all of them I lack) pray that He would teach you. He would enable. 
Luke:9:62 No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. 
Such is the harsh words of Jesus. 
What is it that God convinced you to do 5 or 2 years back? Are you consistently doing it now? Or have you wavered from the path? 
The Lord asks us to be consistent. To finish the race well. You might not be as swift or as effective as your brother, nor as eloquent as your sister. But the Lord loves an undistracted heart which only looks at the Father's heart, wanting to do what He wants. To be consistent. To finish well. 
May the Lord strengthen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better to keep quiet

James:1:20 For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Anger is in no way beneficial. It neither brings the righteousness that God desires in your life. For anger almost always results in sin. And it comes as a result of sin. Anger leads to bitterness. Anger leads to fits of rage. Anger leads to lack of love. - results in sin. Anger comes out of selfishness. Anger comes out of bitterness. Anger comes out of holding on to your selfish point. Anger comes out of not letting go. - comes as a result of sin. Nor does it bring the righteousness that God desires in their life. The one on whom it is angered upon - he/ she will discipline oneself may be out of fear. But not long lasting. Not out of clear insight or understanding. Not out of love. Then there is the righteous anger which Jesus had in the temple. A genuine outpouring of judgement on seeing what is wrong. But will you be able to draw the line? Therefore be slow to anger. Refrain. There i...

Love for money

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. Heb:13:5 Love of money is the root of all evil. 1 Tim:6:10 Not money perse. But love for money is the root of all evil. You will never be satisfied. America's first billionaire John D. Rockfeller was asked, how much money was enough? He replied, "Just a little more."  This endless pit of discontentment and greed will never be quenched. Money is needed. But love of money is dangerous. It will never satisfy. You compromise on the basics and discredit the ideologies when you try to be filled. But it is like drinking salty water. The hunger just keeps increasing. The solution is to be content with what you have. The promise that follows in v:5b-6 gives you the key. Because God has said, Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.  So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. W hat can man do to me?  That the Lord is enough. That He will provide. That He ...

what a plan?

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. Heb:12:14 Therefore make every effort to be holy.  Holiness is an attribute that God cannot keep aside. In fact none of His attributes can He do away with. But holiness is of a different league. His love accomodates. His forgiveness draws us to Him. His glory inspissates. But His holiness, He cannot compromise. He is so holy and pure that He cannot accomodate even an iota of sin. He lives in inapproachable light. And man was created in this image of God. But man fell. And now he cannot come to God. Therefore he hid from God. But His love still accomodates. His love still longs for man, for his good. But He cannot let sin go unpunished. He wants to forgive. But He has to deal with sin, because He is holy. He cannot compromise His holiness and include sinful man. But He loves man that He wants to forgive him. He cannot shove sin under. Blood has to be shed. Man has to be punished. Therefore He Himself chose to bear it for man's s...

Mist

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James:4:14 Life is so futile. And temporal. If you concentrate on what you are gonna get in this life. You will definitely be disappointed. Those temporary happinesses will not last long. Like a puff of smoke it will vanish. For you are made for eternity. Where as, if you invest in things which are eternal, which will last for eternity future, then that is a wise thing to do. The choice is yours. If you invest in worldly happinesses then you would be called wise by the world and a fool by God. Look at the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. It was a wise thing that he did, to invest wisely, to break down his old small barn and build a bigger one. He invested wisely according to the world. But God calls him a fool. But if you invest in Godly things, God will call you wise eventhough the world will call you a fool..... Who do you want to call you wise? The choice is yours. But the consequence is also yours. A ...

Husband and wife

Unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. 1 Pet:3:4 Though this is told to the wives; it is a very good admonition for all of us. To have a gentle and quiet spirit, is an incomparable unfading inner beauty. The real beauty is not your outwardly appearance. Real beauty is your inner spirit - to be gentle and quiet. Not to be quarrelsome. Not to be picking fights. But to be a peacmaker. especially in your family. V:1. Wives, in the same way, be submissive to your husbands. In which same way? The example is of Jesus. 2:23. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate, when He suffered He made no threats.  In this same way, wives be submissive to your husbands, no matter how well or bad they treat you. V:7. Husbands in the same way, be considerate, as you live with your wives.  In which same way? The example is again of Jesus. 3:7. Treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. Like Jesus did to us. ...

Draw near

Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. James:4:8 Come out of your rebellion. Stop taking the driver's seat. Draw near to Him. Be miserable, mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom (v:9) Be serious about your rebellious nature and seriously repent. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord. (v:10) A repentant mournful heart is always better than a rebellious pseudojoyous heart. In Christ alone is your complete joy. Repent of your rebellious ways and reinstate with Him. Humble yourself in God's presence. You are nobody big. You are nobody significant unless God is on your side. Keep yourself at His feet. Because of your sin, you do not even deserve it. But God has been gracious. Always be aware of this. Always humble yourself in reverential submission to the One who saved you.  Image courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catholic.arts/posts/1873121323144539/

Painful

Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials ofany kind. James:1:2 How can you be joyous when you face trials? You know for sure that God is in control. You know that God will work on your favour because you are His beloved. All things God works for your good. You know that God will bring about a solution. These are good reasons to be joyous. But apostle James tells even more better reasons. Persevere during testing times. Cling on to God during these difficult times. Because perseverance when it finishes it's working, you will become mature and complete. Your character will change because of that perseverance. You will become more Christ like. Just as He desired you to be. Complete. Just like silver is purged of gross when it goes through fire. It is difficult for the silver. Painful. Nothing complete happens for the silver which jumps out of the refinery. It remains unpurged. Therefore cling on. Hold on. Hold fast to the One who allows you to go through this. He will...