The Spirit of the Finisher
Can you believe it? God wants you to have the spirit of a finisher. He wants you to finish well, complete or simply accomplish it, whatever it is.
You might ask what does he want me to finish? Again, whatever it is. Whatever good thing he started in you. He boasts that, whatever good thing he has started, he is able and will complete it.”
I was thoughtful about finishing my course in life, as Apostle Paul did. He wrote, “I have finished my course…” He was talking about his life’s work, given to him by God. In farmer’s terms, he had finished the row for a field he was plowing.
For some of us this has been a challenge. We have unfinished projects, incomplete journeys strewn all over the place. Well, let me tone it down a bit, we have half baked cakes, unfinished meals or relationships that never ended well, if at all. Okay, so you get my point. It can be difficult to finish well. The Ecclesiastes writer puts it this way, to finish well is better than a good start.
Bear with me, I think I have some thoughts that will help us FINISH STRONG in the famous words of Lance Armstrong. To even finish well, the way God intends. There are some things to notice, implement and avoid, more about that later.
There are other places in Scripture that I saw hints, patterns, principles that said God loves a good finish, a good ending or a completion. Here are a few of those places noticed
- It all started with our heavenly Father, in the creation process, he declared on the seventh day, “I have completed and now rest. He looked over everything and saw that it was all good. I think he said it’s really good. He showed us his pattern of working hard perhaps six days a week and then resting, recharging, replenishing on the seventh. A whole other topic, but it’s called the Sabbath Rest in Hebrews 4.
- Secondly, in the final book of the Bible Revelation Apostle John wrote Christ words when he appeared to him, “I am the Alpha and Omega (the Beginning and the End)
- Continue. Don’t overlook the continue in getting to the great finish. We have to continue in God’s word or in Apostle John’s words, “Abide in the Vine…”
- We live in a level to level, glory to glory continuum in life. Each level has new highs but also new challenges to contend with and overcome. (Look up scripture)
- Then the Apostle Paul comforts us with the words, “He who started a good work in you is able and will complete it.” So don’t get weary in well doing. Jesus is still in it to win it and has indeed won it already on the Cross. The Scripture, don’t be weary in well doing. You will reap if you faint not. In my own words, I would say to finish we just have to NOT QUIT.
- Which leads us to the finished works of Christ. We can’t forget on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished! Then he gave up his spirit back to the Father. It’s where we Christians get the phrase, “We live in the finished work of Christ.”
- Expected end (Happy Ending). Prophet Jeremiah encourages with words that have rang down through the centuries, “For I know the plans I have for you, a hope (an expected end), a bright future (a chance to succeed). I believe God has one for each of us.
Join me in cultivating a spirit of a finisher. We start with mimicking our heavenly Father he completed something and said it was good. So, now more than ever we complete things; we receive things in completion. For some of you, you’re already there. For others purchase the whole suit or outfit as opposed to getting a jacket here and the pants there. Aim for the whole suite of furniture or the complete set of dishes. You get the picture.
Then continue, go from level to level, from glory to glory. Win the war by conquering one challenge at a time. Know that He who started the work in you will complete; it’s not all up to us. Finally, in the end of things, we seek to say what our Lord Jesus said, ‘It is finished! The Apostle Paul also, “I fought a good fight of faith and finished the course God had for me.”
/Tags: Earma Brown, Living the Graced Life Blog, Spirit of a finisher