Finish Well

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7 NIV)

Eric Liddle
If I were able to offer people my age one thought to hold close to their hearts, it would be expressed in just two simple, yet powerful words: Finish well.

Throughout history we have examples of men and women who began their journeys as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, pastors, businessmen, and friends with a bang. Life was good and they were at the top of their game in every area of life. Their walk with God was good, their relationships with their wives/husbands and children seemed to be second to none. Their zest for life was energized simply by waking up in the morning. Then something happened, the circumstances of life took over and some, sadly enough, ended their journey here, sad, burnt out, brokenhearted, rejected and alone.

Finishing well begins by viewing life not as a sprint, but rather as a marathon. Sprinting through life puts the weight of completion on our shoulders and when circumstances cause us to trip and fall, we become disillusioned, convince ourselves that we deserve better and we often feel like failures and ultimately, many times give up. Realizing that life is a marathon helps us to make it through the pit falls of life and get up again, not to give up, but rather to continue towards the finish line of life, longing to hear the most important duel words in eternity, well done.

Satan would have us think that we should rush though life and get all we can before the other guy gets it and all the while destroying anyone or thing that gets in our way. He also wants us to think that happiness should be our goal in life. Jesus on the other hand set the example of the marathon in life that takes one day, one moment, one circumstance, one person at a time, keeping our eyes on the "Author and Finisher of our faith!" (Hebrews 12:2) He also told us to expect trouble, not happiness. (see John 16:33)

Where are you today? Are you on the sidelines, tired, unhappy, bruised and injured after a long sprint? My friend, it’s not over, it’s far from over. Extend your hand out and our Lord and a trusted brother or sister in Christ will join hands with you and help you to the finish line. Are you running well? Slow down and take a moment to pick someone else up and don’t rush through life so fast that you forget that you won’t truly finish well unless you bring someone else across the finish line with you.

This week, purpose anew not only to finish, but by the grace of God to finish well. And along with that know that God is more concerned with your holiness than your happiness.

Pastor MJ

Trust Him Completely

"To accept the will of God never leads to the

miserable feeling that it is useless to strive anymore.
God does not ask for the dull, weak,

sleepy acquiescence of indolence.
He asks for something vivid and strong.
He asks us to cooperate with him, actively willing what he wills,
our only aim his glory. (Amy Carmichael)

Do you ever feel like it’s really difficult to follow the Lord’s commands? I mean on a daily basis. Think about the things that God gives us as instructions as how to live the lives that He has for us. He tells us not to worry. He tells us to trust him completely. He tells us to love Him with all of our hearts, souls and strength. He tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He tells us not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will care for itself. He tells us to trust Him completely and in doing so be led by Him down His path for our lives. He tells us not to fear but that He will take care of our every need. He tells us that if our ways please Him that He will make even our enemies be at peace with us. He tells us that if we train up our children His way that when they are old they will not depart from it. There are hundreds of other things that the Lord tells us to do that provide for us the way to experience life at it’s full. Do we take Him at His word?

There are many things that God tells us to do in order to have the life that He’s created us for, there are other things that He tells us not to do in order to receive the same. It’s been that way since the beginning. Adam and Eve were told to do many things, but one thing that they were told not to do, they did and it changed history forever and the penalty was severe. How would things be different if they had only obeyed? Remember Achan in Joshua 7. Earlier he had been told not to keep the things devoted to the Lord, but he did it anyway. God was not pleased and Achan and all he had was destroyed. If only he had obeyed and waited. We see in chapter 8 that all Achan desired, worldly treasures, were already in God’s plan to give him, but due to his lack of trust, expressed through disobedience he never got to partake of God’s bounty.

How many things have we or will we miss out on that God has planned for us because of our impatience, fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc. all which when boiled down equal lack of trust. Father is not one who gives commands just for the sake of giving them. He does so with a much bigger picture in mind. Obedience opens the door to multiplied blessings that He is waiting to give to those who take the "risk" to trust in Him with all their hearts with the aim to bring Him honor and glory.

With you on the journey towards total trust,
MJ

Momentary Troubles

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-19 (NIV)

While Job saw and felt the boils that were covering his body, God saw the millions of people who would be encouraged by his story of praise in the midst of trials. As Joseph was surrounded by the darkness of the dry well that he was thrown into by his brothers, God saw the store house of food that would feed thousands during the severe famine. At the time that David’s family saw a "ruddy" young man God saw the greatest human king of Israel. And over two thousand years ago, while the magi saw the infant Messiah, the Jews hope for gaining freedom from Roman oppression, God saw the cross of Calvary.

Scripture teaches us much about perspective. Things that look strange and unreasonable to us are at times perfect and purposefully part of God’s Sovereign plan. "For my ways are not your ways…"(Isaiah 55:8).

Such truth and living examples throughout Scripture should give us hope day in and day out. Just knowing that what we see in our present circumstances is only from our vantage point and that God sees the whole picture should help us to put our trust in His goodness and sovereignty, not our present situation.

Remember Peter? His present circumstances dictated that he was going to probably drown. But that was when he focused on the water. When he focused on Jesus, not the water, He was safe. Peter saw the waves crashing around him; Jesus saw an opportunity to show that He was the Lord of all creation, even the sea.

I must admit, I often struggle when the "resource box" is empty. Too often, my first reaction is to fret and to wonder, "How in the world is this going to work out?" It must break God’s heart when after doing miracle after miracle; after meeting me around the corner from the impossible, time and time again with "I’ve been here all along with this incredible (some provision)", that I still worry and don’t remember that God’s ways are not my ways and His timing is not my timing, but that His love is real, His faithfulness is great and eternal and that He is worthy of my undying trust.

Pray with me today that He would grant us the ability to live with an eternal perspective.

Pastor MJ

My Destiny

It’s amazing how our circumstances tend to dictate in our minds eye who we are. A loss of a job, the demise of a relationship, a personal failure, someone’s opinion of you can often be where you get your identity from. Someone has said, "Your self- image is not made up of what you think about yourself, it’s made up of what you think other’s think about you!" How true that so often is!

Several years ago I was reminded that my focus at the end of my day should not be consumed with what others think about me, but that I should be consumed with what God thinks of me. As a loving Father and benevolent Creator, God has stated in His Word what He thinks of each of His children. These foundational truths have been captured in one of my favorite songs by Dennis Jernigan. May your heart be encouraged as you see yourself through God’s eyes.

My Destiny

All I was I lay aside, now dead to sin, to God alive, born again
into a new identity! Once asleep to God in sin, now wakened
by the blood and cleansed, born again to be who He called
Me to be! All I have I lay aside, run the race to gain the prize
for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ in me! I cannot yet fully see
all I’m truly called to be. But knowing Christ reveals my hope and destiny!

He calls me child! He calls me to His side eternally!
He calls what once was lost now found! Once bound to sin
now free! He calls me holy, calls me righteous, by the
blood redeemed. He calls me over comer, crowned with victory,
this is my destiny!

What once bound me is no more, what was stolen is restored
by the resurrection power of my King.

What was old has been made new,

lies and doubts replaced by truth.

What was silent now resounds, "I am redeemed!"
He calls me servant, calls me warrior, calls me royalty.

He calls me resurrected one, He calls me His redeemed.

He calls me higher, calls me far beyond my wildest dream.

He calls my heart to come and be all He can see, this is my destiny.
He calls me "Chosen, new creation, Trophy of His grace."
He gives me strength to fight the fight and run to win the race!

He tells me He delights in me while singing over me,

accepting me as His beloved bride to be, this is my destiny.

Amen! Let that truth influence your worship this week!

Pastor MJ

God Proved His Faithfulness

"So Sarah laughed…"

Genesis 18:10-12 (NIV)

It continually makes me stand in awe as I think that the King of kings and the Lord of lords loves me, and not that he loves me alone, but that He also desires for me to be in a personal relationship with Him.

As I read through Scriptures, I notice several times when God is so grieved over man’s unfaithfulness, sin and rebellion, that He states that it is His desire to destroy them. However, as wicked as man has been, God has never destroyed all of mankind. And as a matter of fact, on many occasions, because of the prayers of faithful men, God changed his plan.

No matter how many times God proved his faithfulness, no matter how many times He proved that His promises are true, men and women throughout Scripture and still today cry, keep silent, walk the other way and or laugh in disbelief because of our lack of faith. Sarah was such a person. God had told Abraham and then Sarah that through them many nations would be born and blessed. Sarah had a hard time believing that especially since she was 90 and Abraham at this time was 100 years old. She had been barren that long, how could she possibly give birth for the first time now? The Bible teaches that, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) God’s timing is not always in synch with ours. He is seldom early, but He is never late!

Now, I imagine that God was at least hurt by Sarah’s disbelief, but He was probably also angry. He had provided, led and guided them without fail up to this point and still she laughed with disbelief. Yet God kept all of His promises and delivered, right on time! What a gracious, loving, forgiving God we serve that in spite of our doubt, He still blesses. In spite of our fear, He still delivers! In spite of our unfaithfulness, He remains faithful.

Take a moment and consider the alternative. Do you agree that we indeed have reason to praise Him for His faithfulness?

Take this week and so do.

Blessings, MJ