Let's Talk about Finishing Well

It's my birthday today, and I've been thinking a lot about finishing my earthly race well. Actually, I started getting serious about "finishing well" shortly after I received my diagnosis with Multiple Myeloma in 2019. A diagnosis can do that!

In this Wisdom UPGRADE, I want to share some things I've learned as I've thought and meditated on this concept of finishing the final season of life.

We need a blueprint, a well-defined pattern to observe and follow, in order to finish well.

The Bible teaches us principles about finishing well in the final season of life. I see it as a pattern.

• There are "Principled People" in the Bible who illustrate powerful truths. They are the who in this article—biblical characters like Joseph and Paul, and especially Jesus.
• We also need a "Powerful Perspective" as we consider why it's so important.
• Then, through "Productive Preparation," we learn how to finish well.
• And it helps to have a "Practical Picture"—what does it look like to finish well today?

Let's look at each of these.

1. Principled People: WHO in the Bible Illustrates Finishing Well?

So many biblical characters did not finish well. We think of King Saul, Jezebel, King Solomon, Judas, Ananias and Sapphira, and others). But many, though not perfect, did finish well, holding God and His Word paramount in their lives.

Here are just a few examples.

Joseph finished well. In spite of all life threw at him—his brothers' conspiracy and others' abuse—Joseph finished his race in spiritual strength. His family saw firsthand how he had served both God and Pharaoh, trusting the Lord with his whole heart through tough, scary times. Throughout his lifetime, Joseph used the wisdom God gave him, and stood firm and courageous against sexual immorality.

In the last seasons of his life, Joseph wisely provided for his family in a foreign land (Genesis 50:19-21), and in faith, he gave instructions about taking his bones home for burial in the Promised Land (Genesis 50:22-25; Hebrews 11:22).

Joseph lived well and he finished well, giving us an example of courageous commitment and wise preparation.

King David finished well. Even though the "man after God's own heart" had great courage and successes, there are signs that he never recovered from his moral failures, and his family was impacted by the consequences of his sins. His firstborn, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar; and then Tamar's brother, Absalom, killed Amnon. Later Absalom led a conspiracy to take over David's throne. The family devastation continued into Solomon's reign.

So David was not perfect. He confessed his sin and was forgiven—but he didn't act forgiven. In his final years he was hindered by regrets.

Yet Acts 13:36 says David finished well. He "served God's purpose in his own generation," and that is a lesson for all of us—to serve God's purposes in OUR generation. It's worth our time to discover God's purposes . . . ask for wisdom (James 1:5).

The Apostle Paul finished well. In 2 Timothy 4:7, he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

We say Paul finished well because of all he endured in completing the will of God in his life (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). He suffered three shipwrecks, was imprisoned, flogged, beaten, and stoned. He knew cold, sleeplessness, hunger, and thirst. He was disdained and assaulted by Jews, Gentiles, and false Christians.

Paul trusted God's sovereign love and perfect providence and love (Romans 8:28, 36-37) until his death.

Paul teaches believers how to suffer well in order to finish well.

Jesus, our Savior, finished well. Jesus, said in John 17:4, "God, I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do."

That doesn't mean He finished all the work possible to do. No, Jesus left many things unfinished—for now. (He's coming back, remember.)

But our Lord, in His first advent, finished all the work the Father gave Him to do AT THAT TIME.

• He followed the Father's blueprint, staying closely attuned to His will (Luke 22:42).
• He was sent to "seek and save that which is lost" and provide atonement for all who would put their trust in Him (Luke 19:10; Romans 3:23-25). 
• Jesus completed His work on the cross—not turning away from it (Hebrews 12:2-3).
• He rightly said of His sacrifice for sinner, "it is finished" (John 19:30). 
• And Jesus discipled and commissioned those who would share the good news of salvation after He returned to heaven (Matthew 28:16-20).

Finishing well, for Jesus, required commitment, faithfulness, obedience, and vigilance—the same qualities we need to finish well.

2. Powerful Perspective: WHY is it important to finish well?

It's important for at least three reasons.

First: It's important to Jesus that we finish well.

Christians in earlier generations made much of the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents. Two faithful servants used what their master had given them (bags of gold) to increase his wealth, but one foolish servant failed to even invest it. The two faithful servants heard, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21, 23).

Jesus shared that parable to help His disciples undertand not everyone will finish well, and He WANTED them to finish well.

"Well done" are the words every committed Christian longs to hear from Jesus someday in heaven. To hear those words, a person must be a genuine believer (Hebrews 11:6) and commit to faithfully serve and obey Jesus as Lord (Luke 6:46).

Martin R. De Haan II said, "Finishing well is the right way for a Christian to close the final chapter of life's book. It testifies to the reality of our faith. It leaves for those who remain a legacy of inspiring memories."

As I'm writing the final chapters of my life, I want to finish well, with purpose, wisdom, strength, and joy.

Second: What we do today matters in eternity, so we need to keep that in mind.

Years ago, a friend, Ken Nichols, shared an acronym that has helped me keep a proper perspective on life. To be fully ALIVE, he said, means "Always Living In View of Eternity." As wonderful as this life can be, we're not to just live for today. We were made for eternity.

J.D. Greear says that in Luke 12 there are three ways to live in light of eternity:

• Be awake to your task (Luke 12:37);
• Be confident of Jesus' return (Luke 12:40); and
• Be faithful to your charge (Luke 12:45-48).

In other words, be alert to God's will and active in your task, remembering that Jesus could return at any moment—and you will want to be found faithful.

Third, there are crowns to be won!

The New Testament mentions five crowns:

• the imperishable crown—it will "last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25),
• the crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19),
• the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8),
• the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4),
• and the crown of life—the "victor's crown" (Revelation 2:10).

3. Productive Preparation: HOW do we go about finishing well?

So we know the who and the why of finishing well . . . but how?

A key word that kept popping out as I studied how to finish well was "prepare." God doesn't want us to be lazy or thoughtless concerning spiritual maturity and obedience.

I love the proverb about the ant who stored up provisions in summer and harvest (Proverbs 6:6-11). Solomon addressed the person who foolishly did not prepare in life, saying, "How long will you lie there, you sluggard?"

The Lord wants us to prepare wisely to be a productive servant . . . every single day.

(That doesn't mean we can't rest, as long as our final season doesn't become one big rest stop! And we can vacation, but we must never vacate our position as an ambassador of Christ, wherever we are!)

Preparing to finishing well is a heart attitude and a mindset.

Dr. Paul Chappell wrote about being "finish ready"—being "ever-ready" for that moment when "our ship will leave the harbor" for heaven.

Preparation can take many shapes. For me, it involves watchfulness, being a person who remembers to "love His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8b). It means watching and eagerly waiting for my Lord's immenent return.

It also means submission to Jesus as Lord, the kind of humble surrender that leads to obedience and service. We cannot call Jesus "Lord" (ruler over us) while refusing to do what He says (Luke 6:46).

It means spiritual growth—not being content with where we are spiritually. It means falling more in love with God's Word, increasing in our love and devotion toward Him, growing in grace and wisdom, etc. Essentially, it's upgrading all the "basics" of the Spirit-led Christian life.

We have to persevere in these things, and when we do, there is great reward. The writer of Hebrews said, "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For 'In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay'" (Hebrews 10:36-37).

4. Practical Picture: WHAT does it look like to finish well?

Althought the goals are the same—to love and honor God and obey Him—finishing well will probably look different in individuals.

For me, it's writing the book that is in my heart, preparing my family for when I go to heaven, and continuing to reach out to my neighbors.

For you, finishing well might look like this:

• Cultivating you Marriage to the glory of God—drawing closer to your spouse in every way.
• Considering what kind of legacy you're leaving your children and grandchildren—and if that doesn't look like what you want, what can you do to change it?
• Working on difficult relationships . . . like finally talking to that person you offended with a spirit of reconciliation—or to the person who offended you, with a spirit of forgiveness.
• Getting finances in order so your family won't be saddled with debt and so you can invest in a ministry.
• Giving more of your time and resources to people and ministries instead of buying more stuff.
• Finishing a beloved project, maybe something powerful to help the needy in your community.
• Serving in church in a more impactful way, remembering we never "retire" from all Christian service.
• Going on a ministry trip while you are still physically able to serve.
• Knowing you are ready to enter eternity when you lie on your deathbed

This is more than a bucket list. It's a Prepare to Finish Well list. And we all need to make one and take some productive action every day.

A suggested prayer: 

"Father God, please help me finish the work You've given me, and help me finish it well. Show me how to live in light of eternity, all for Your glory and the praise of Your name." Because of Jesus, Amen.

What does finishing well look like in your life, your circumstances? How can you prepare better to finish well?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth at Revive Our Hearts, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Silvia at Pixabay.

You Have to Finish to 'Finish Well'!

In this Finishing Well UPGRADE, Dawn examines some of the ways we can obey God to finish well, and also why we may not finish projects or accomplish goals.

Many Christians are familiar with the parable of the talents (bags of gold) in Matthew 25:14-30. Jesus told a story about two faithful servants who were good stewards of what they had been given, increasing their master's wealth. Their master praised them, saying (vv. 21 and 23), "Well done, good and faithful servant."

For many years I've heard sermons and conference messages about how wonderful it will be to hear Jesus say that to believers for their stewardship on earth.

But the thought hit me recently, "You have to actually finish in order to 'finish well.'" I'll address that later in this post.

But first, What hinders us from finishing well?

I think the biggest hindrance to our finishing well is a matter of obedience.

When God makes clear to us a command, a responsibility, or some other point of action, we need to obey. My favorite evangelist, Del Fehsenfeld, Jr., said, "Obedience is doing exactly what God says, when He says it, with a happy face."

Obey completely, immediately, and with the right heart attitude.

So why, when God makes it clear He wants us to do something, do we lag behind—or worse, fail to move into action.

In Psalm 119, chapter one, I see at least three ways we fail in our goal of finishing well.

1. We fail to Submit to God's Word (Psalm 119:1-2a, 4)

The psalmist says,

"Blessed (happy) are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are those who keep his statutes . . . You have laid down precepts that are to fully obeyed."

God gives us commands, instructions, and rules guiding behavior. When we are not diligent to submit God and His Word, it will be harder to and keep His laws, statutes, and precepts—the responsibilities He places upon His people.

We can be in utter rebellion against something we read in the Bible, or subtly resisting it.

The devil doesn't care which it is.

Finishing well requires that we yield to the Word of God, and allow the Holy Spirit to use the Word to teach, guide, and correct us.

2. We Fail to Seek God with Our Whole Heart (Psalm 119:2b)

The psalmist tells readers to seek God "with all their heart," not part of it.

Partial, unenthusiastic love leads to partial, unenthusiastic obedience.

Deuteronomy 6:5 exhorts us to love God with ALL our heart, soul, and strength. No room for half-hearted love there.

Loving God extravagantly is how we obey Him "with a happy face."

Perhaps our lack of genuine love for God comes from not recognizing Him as the "first love" of our lives. We forget what it was like to be a new believer and our pledge to follow Jesus anywhere and obey Him in all things.

Truly loving God motivates us to want to obey Him. 

"Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always" (Deuterionomy 11:1).

Finishing well is more than doing all the right things; it is being right with God—in a vital, loving relationship with Him.

3. We Fail to Walk in God's Ways (Psalm 119:3)

The psalmist says of those who are blessed, 

". . . they do no wrong but follow his ways."

Our many sins hinder us from obeying God completely and immediately: selfishness, pride, fear, unbelief, giving in to ungodly peer pressure, love of people rather than God, greed and coventousness, anger, lust, etc.

King Saul disobeyed God because he was "afraid" of what people might say (1 Samuel 15:1-3, 12-29), and it cost him his kingdom. He did not finish well.

Finishing well requires the desire to walk with God in purity, and persistence in keeping short accounts with God concerning our sin.

The Goal is to Obediently, Faithfully Finish!

Certainly God can redirect us to new goals—which might include abandoning old ones.

And some people die before "finishing" their goals; but God weighs our success in terms of obedience and faithfulness to His goals for us.

But here's a practical point to ponder. In a November 22, 2021, motivational podcast "Finish More Goals by Asking 1 Surprising Question," Jon Acuff, author of Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, said if we are not finishing our goals, we should ask,

"What am I getting out of NOT finishing?"

He explored three possible responses (summarized here):

• By not finishing, we control the outcome.
• By not finishing, we get praise for being a martyr, for being noble.
• By not finishing, we have lowered expectations from others—rather than building up a reputation of faithfulness and success that we have to live up to.

I have seen all three of those responses activated at certain points in my own life. Even worse, sometimes I don't even begin because of fear of failing or fear of others' opinions.

Acuff said,

"If what you gain by not finishing is greater than what you get out of finishing, you'll always be stuck."

If we are going to finish well—especially in the spiritual realm—we need to obediently begin and faithfully finish what God has asked us to do, regardless of our own fears and inadequacies, regardless of others' opinions, and regardless of the consequences.

To summarize, we finish well by loving and submitting to God and His Word, and then walking in His ways—keeping in mind that we can not only hear the Father's "well done," but there are also crowns to be won!

What is keeping you from finishing well? What is keeping you from finishing at all—or even not beginning? What can you do, starting today, to change that?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She works part time at Revive Our Hearts, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and they have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Joshua Hoehne at Unsplash.