His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
MATTHEW 25:23
ON ONE OF MY SHELVES is a book on power abs. The cover shows a closeup of a fellow flexing his flat belly. His gut has more ripples and ridges than a pond on a windy day. Inspired, I bought the book, read the routine, and did the sit-ups . . . for a week.
Not far from the power-abs book is a tape series on speed reading. This purchase was Denalyn’s idea, but when I read the ad, I was equally enthused. The course promises to do for my mind what Power Abs promised to do for my gut— turn it into steel. The back-cover copy promises that mastering this six-week series will enable you to read twice as fast and retain twice the amount. All you have to do is listen to the tapes—which I intend to do . . . someday.
And then there is my bottle of essential minerals. Thirty-two ounces of pure health. One swallow a day and I’ll ingest my quota of calcium, chloride, magnesium, sodium, and sixty-six other vital earthly elements. (There’s even a trace of iron, which is good since I missed my shot at the iron abs and the steel-trap mind.) The enthusiast who sold me the minerals convinced me that thirty dollars was a small price to pay for good health. I agree. I just keep forgetting to take them.
Don’t get me wrong. Not everything in my life is incomplete. But I confess, I don’t always finish what I start. Chances are I’m not alone. Any unfinished projects under your roof? Perhaps an exercise machine whose primary function thus far has been to hold towels? Or an unopened do-it-yourself pottery course? How about a half-finished patio deck or a half-dug pool or a half-planted garden? And let’s not even touch the topic of diets and weight loss, OK?
You know as well as I, it’s one thing to start something. It’s something else entirely to complete it. You may think I’m going to talk to you about the importance of finishing everything. Could be you are bracing yourself for a bit of chastising.
If so, relax. “Don’t start what you can’t finish” is not one of my points. And I’m not going to say anything about what is used to pave the road to hell. To be honest, I don’t believe you should finish everything you start. (Every student with homework just perked up.) There are certain quests better left undone, some projects wisely abandoned. (Though I wouldn’t list homework as one of those.)
We can become so obsessed with completion that we become blind to effectiveness. Just because a project is on the table doesn’t mean it can’t be returned to the shelf. No, my desire is not to convince you to finish everything. My desire is to encourage you to finish the right thing. Certain races are optional—like washboard abs and speed reading. Other races are essential—like the race of faith.
1. Paul pressed on toward a goal throughout his ministry.
• What did he want to attain, according to Philippians 3:10–12?
• What was his “secret” in running, according to verse 13?
• According to Philippians 3:14, what was the prize?
2. Had Paul’s perspective changed as he neared the end of his course? What does he say about the race of faith in 2 Timothy 4:7?
3. Reread Hebrews 12:1–2, and answer the following:
• How should we run?
• What should we get rid of first?
• Who’s watching us?
• Where should our eyes be fixed?
• Whose example do we follow?
But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
ISAIAH 40:31
Had golf existed in the New Testament era, I’m sure the writers would have spoken of mulligans and foot wedges, but it didn’t, so they wrote about running. The word race is from the Greek agon, from which we get the word agony. The Christian’s race is not a jog but rather a demanding and grueling, sometimes agonizing race. It takes a massive effort to finish strong.
Likely you’ve noticed that many don’t. Surely you’ve observed there are many on the side of the trail? They used to be running. There was a time when they kept the pace. But then weariness set in. They didn’t think the run would be this tough. Or they were discouraged by a bump and daunted by a fellow runner. Whatever the reason, they don’t run anymore. They may be Christians. They may come to church. They may put a buck in the plate and warm a pew, but their hearts aren’t in the race. They retired before their time. Unless something changes, their best work will have been their first work, and they will finish with a whimper.
By contrast, Jesus’ best work was his final work, and his strongest step was his last step. Our Master is the classic example of one who endured. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that Jesus “held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him” (12:3 NCV). The Bible says Jesus “held on,” implying that Jesus could have “let go.” The runner could have given up, sat down, gone home. He could have quit the race. But he didn’t. “He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him.”
4. What was Paul determined to do, according to Acts 20:24?
5. We can’t give up. We must press on. John has a word he likes to use for folks who show that kind of tenacity—overcomers.
• Whom can we overcome, according to 1 John 5:5?
• What is the secret to our victory when we overcome, according to 1 John 5:4?
• Even more so, why are we able to overcome, according to 1 John 4:4?
I invite you to think carefully about the supreme test Jesus faced in the race. Hebrews 12:2 offers this intriguing statement: “[Jesus] accepted the shame as if it were nothing” (NCV).
Such words stir one urgent question: How? How did he endure such disgrace? What gave Jesus the strength to endure the shame of all the world? We need an answer, don’t we? Like Jesus we are tempted. Like Jesus we are accused. Like Jesus we are ashamed. But unlike Jesus, we give up. We give out. We sit down. How can we keep running as Jesus did? How can our hearts have the endurance Jesus had?
By focusing where Jesus focused.
6. Where did Jesus keep his eyes, according to Hebrews 12:2?
Hebrews 12:2 may very well be the greatest testimony ever written about the glory of heaven. Nothing is said about golden streets or angels’ wings. No reference is made to music or feasts. Even the word heaven is missing from the verse. But though the word is missing, the power is not.
Remember, heaven was not foreign to Jesus. He is the only person to live on earth after he had lived in heaven. As believers, you and I will live in heaven after time on earth, but Jesus did just the opposite. He knew heaven before he came to earth. He knew what awaited him upon his return. And knowing what awaited him in heaven enabled him to bear the shame on earth. In his final moments, Jesus focused on the joy God put before him.
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
REVELATION 21:7
7. We can be finishers. What does Paul promise will come to pass one day, according to Philippians 1:6?
8. Paul tells us that “not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:18). We long to hear the words in Matthew 25:23. What are they?
9.What blessing shall serve as our benediction, as found in James 1:12?
Such a moment awaits us. In a world oblivious to power abs and speed reading, we’ll take our place at the table. In an hour that has no end, we will rest. Surrounded by saints and engulfed by Jesus himself, the work will, indeed, be finished. The final harvest will have been gathered, we will be seated, and Christ will christen the meal with these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
And in that moment, the race will have been worth it.
Selections throughout this lesson are taken from Six Hours One Friday, No Wonder They Call Him the Savior, He Still Moves Stones, and Just Like Jesus.
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