Paul, the Apostle said, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Tim. 4:6-8 NKJV
Seeing that these verses are concerning spiritual success, I’d like us to first examine spiritual examples, believing that this will motivate us to carefully run our own spiritual race in manners that lead to good ending. We shall run it well in Jesus’ name. We too shall finish well in Jesus’ name.
THE TALE OF TWO CO-WORKERS:
PAUL & DEMAS
From the text we see the Apostle Paul making affirmative statements concerning his Christian journey, looking back and realizing that he had kept the faith and had seen his crown laid up waiting for him. What an awesome state of mind. Thank God for him. I pray that we too will get to that point of being sure of not only our rewards but also our salvation. Amen.
Unfortunately, this was not the case of his co-worker, Demas. In Philemon 24, Demas is referred to as Paul’s co-worker, but in 2 Timothy 4:10, he is reported to have gone back to the world; - “for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica …” From that time, we never heard of Demas anymore. At least we did not hear him make any such victorious remarks, as Paul did, concerning his spiritual journey.
Please pray and tell God that you want to finish well. Ask Him to uphold you, that you will not fissile away, going back to love worldliness.
HOW DID PAUL MAKE IT?
It was by God’s grace. In 1 Cor. 15:10, he said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain …”
Please pray that God will give you the grace for the journey, so you can finish well.
HOW DID DEMAS LOSE IT?
He loved the world, but Paul did not. 1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
• Please pray that God will remove the love of worldliness from your heart. Tell Him that you want to finish well.
Materially or socio-economically speaking, why did Joseph finish well?
Joseph finished well because he ran from sin (fearing God – see Genesis 39:9 & Gen. 42:17-19), and never stopped serving. If he had committed the sin, all he could have was the woman, but because of holiness and the fear of God, he gained the entire nation as far as power, authority and money was concerned (Gen. 41:37-44). Joseph finished well. You will finish well in Jesus name.
• Please pray that God will put His fear in us and our children, so we can finish well.
THE TALE OF 2 DISCIPLES: JUDAS & PETER
Peter finished well, but Judas did not – in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Let's recall that both Peter and Judas sinned against the person of Jesus, but Peter found favor while Judas committed suicide.
Peter became the leader of the church after Jesus left, and even the one who was in the position to call for the replacement of Judas (Acts 1:15-20).
Lord, pray for me as you did for Peter, I want to finish well (Luke 22:31-32)
Both of them were warned, but somehow Judas didn't find the grace to survive his ordeal while Peter did. Jesus told Judas to go and do what he planned to do (John 13:26-27). Can you believe it that he just got up and went to betray Him? Was that a mind blindfold?
Pray that God will prevent any emptiness of the mind (blindfolding) that can prevent you from seeing the danger involved in any step we are about to take. You must finish well.
Pray that the spirit of betrayal will not come upon you. You must finish well.
Pray that your remorse will not lead you to depression or suicide, but to Jesus who shows mercy. You must finish well.
Pray that greed will not have the best of you. It was greed that pushed Judas into sin. You must finish well.
Pray that your dwelling will not become desolate (Acts 1:20). You must finish well.
Judas was replaced with Mathias. Please pray that you will not be replaced in the kingdom of God, here on earth and in heaven. Acts 1:20 states, "... Let another take his place"
Lord, please have mercy on me and my household
ELIJAH
The spirit of God recently helped to see something in the life of Prophet Elijah that I never saw before. The bible says, “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kgs 2:11): This looks like someone who finished well. When I got this understanding, the Spirit of God gave me a prayer point which I want to share with you. The prayer point is that God will turn your fear to His glory and your glorification.
I used to only see that Elijah was fearful of Jezebel, running away and becoming a fugitive because of the fear, thereby getting subjected to a harsh travelling condition, and filled with depression and hopelessness (1 Kgs. 19:1-3). Elijah was afraid and dejected to the point of asking that God would take his life (1 Kgs. 19:4).
Yes, all these things happened because of fear, but have you imagined that in the midst of it all, God was still with Him? Do you see that God maintained communication with him? God provided food for him (1 Kgs. 19:5), gave him strength for his journey, and gave him instructions pertaining to the final steps he would take in life. This is indeed a good finish. He was allowed to be the one who would anoint his predecessor, anoint the next king (1 Kgs. 19:15-18), etc. This is a wonderful exit. The grand finale was an awesome one too: He was taken up to heaven in a chariot (2 Kgs. 2:11). Oh, what a wonder! What a glorious exit. What a glorious finishing. His fear turned to glorification. Oh whoa!
Pray that Lord, every situation posing a threat in your life right now, turn it to the glorification of His name in your life and to your glorification.
POLITICALLY AND MATERIALLY SPEAKING, WHY DID JOSHUA FINISH WELL?
Joshua finished well because he did not deviate from godly counsel he received from the beginning (Joshua 1:8). Later when they were giving him troubles and people were doing whatever they wanted, Joshua openly declared that, as for him and his house, they would serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). It is recorded that Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua (Joshua 24:31).
Pray that God will keep you and your family members faithful to His instructions, committing His word to our hearts and doing it daily. You must finish well in Jesus name.
