…But How You Finish That Counts
God is one who finishes what He has started. The universe and the earth had a beginning; in fact, the Bible starts with the words, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1). Unlike Eastern philosophies and religions which promote the idea of endless cycles of life and reincarnation, the Bible makes it clear that we will only live once: …man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, (Heb 9:27). It also makes it clear that history is linear; in other words, that it had a beginning and will have an end. The Sovereign Lord is in control of history – history is indeed ‘His Story’. Jesus spoke a number of times about “the end of the age”. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous… (Mat 13:49). And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Mat 24:14) (Just two examples of many!). He also said these exciting but sobering words, "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev 22:12-13) Yes! He was there in the beginning and He will orchestrate the end.
I’ve met a number of people who are good at starting things, but never finish them; they somehow always drop the ball halfway and don’t seem to have the tenacity to see things through. Fortunately, I was taught by my parents, the ideal of letting my yes be yes and my no be no, and of finishing what I had started. It has a bit of a downside though, in that I only really get a true sense of satisfaction and fulfillment when a job is completely finished and everything is tidied up. (I’m still learning to enjoy the journey and smell the flowers along the way).
We see that after each “day” of creation God evaluated what was done and pronounced that “it was good”. Respectfully, it seems to me like He was enjoying the journey. Then on the sixth day he created the animals and finally man in His own image and likeness. On evaluation He pronounced His completed work to be “very good!” Then we read these words, By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. (Gen 2:2) The message seems to ring out loud and clear to me; God finishes what He has started.
God knew before He created us, that given a free will to choose, we would have the potential to sin, so He put in place a plan of redemption before the foundations of the earth. Not only is He our Creator, but He Is also our Redeemer. The good news is that when God begins the work of redemption in our lives He also sees it through to completion. There are days when I don’t feel very “redeemed”, but then I remind myself that I am still a work in progress. Let me share a few encouraging Scriptures with you that will confirm to you that God isn’t through with you yet and that He will finish what He has started…
One of my favourites is Hebrews 12:2 which urges us to fix our eyes on Jesus “the author and perfecter of our faith”, or as other translations put it, “the author and finisher of our faith”. Yes, He will perfect and finish the work He began in you!
Something else that really reassures me is the fact that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father as my High Priest, my Advocate and my Intercessor and as such is able to save me completely. Heb 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. My salvation and redemption does not depend on my feeble abilities, but on the ability of Christ – He is mighty to save! Jesus hasn’t given up on you or me; He is still interceding for us and will save us “completely”.
Yet another great Scripture is a prayer Paul prayed for the Thessalonians: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1Th 5:23-24) You and I didn’t really seek after God, He was calling and searching for us long before we even acknowledged Him. Having found us, He will sanctify us through and through to be ready for His coming. Yes, He is faithful, He will do it!
I could go on to other Scriptures, but I think you get the picture. God will finish the work of redemption He started in both you and me. I love the bumper sticker which reads, “Please be patient with me, God isn’t through with me yet!” I may be a work in progress, but Jesus, the perfecter of my faith, will finish that work so that I am ready for His coming. Hallelujah! Come Lord Jesus, come!
Dear reader, I encourage you to focus on God’s ability rather than on your own perceived inability. God helping you, you will, like the apostle Paul, make it to the finish line. May you one day be able to say what Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2Ti 4:7)
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jud 1:24-25)
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