Finishing Well - Keeping The Faith

I was about 10, and my dad bought my brother and me a Honda 50 motorcycle – though motorcycle is probably a stretch. It was more of a dirt bike / moped; the smallest of the Honda series of motorcycles. Think “Shetland Pony.”

But, we were two little boys living in the country – a long way from friends – and that red Honda 50 was great entertainment.

One of our first projects was to build a trail through my grandfather’s pastureland between our house and his house. This would allow us quick access between the two houses without the danger of being on Brookwood Road – a long and dangerous stretch of country road.

What looked like an easy task turned into a project that took two little boys weeks to complete. In building that trail, we might as well have been building a railroad. Digging in the pasture soil, we removed clumps of pasture grass and then had to fill in the divots. We encountered a large berm (“hump” for those of you not oriented to trail construction) in the pasture. The first time we drove the Honda over the berm, we went air-born and I thought for sure Tim had died. In fact, I approached his body while praying only to hear him say, “I think I’m okay.” He was. (He later became a fighter pilot). So, we had to take days to level out the berm, leaving enough to make it exciting but not dangerous. There was also a low spot in the trail, and the low spot would get pretty swampy when it rained. We scrounged around and found some old 2 x 6 boards, making a bridge over the low spot. The last leg of the trail was an incline. We wrecked the bike again trying to take it straight up, and that led us to days of creating a series of cut backs to better maneuver the incline.

As long as I live, I will never forget the day we finished the trail and prepared for the first official test drive. We even took a piece of mama’s red ribbon and nailed it between two boards as a ceremonial finish line at my grandparents’ house. Tim and I flipped a coin to see who would make that first inaugural run, and he won. So, I assembled at the finish line and called out my grandparents and dad to watch the first run. Through an old set of binoculars, I watched as Tim left our house on the Honda 50.

Down through the pasture he came, jumped the berm, crossed the bridge, and then zig-zagged his way up “the mountain” (our term) before crossing the finish line. When he crossed the finish line, he stopped, threw off his helmet, and we hugged and danced around like two little wild boys. It was so emotional because we had worked so hard, for so long, to finish that project and then it was successfully done. Knowing how sensitive we were (and are), I’m sure we were on the verge of happy tears. All that long, hot work had paid off and it was successful.

That trail took (a) having a plan; (b) having a perspective; and (c) having perseverance.

We had a plan to build that trail to connect two homes. We had a learned perspective that this was not going to be easy and there was no way to make it easy. We had perseverance because there were many days when one of us would want to quit and the other would push us along to the finish line. Through it all, we finished well.

The New Testament is full of encouragement to finish this life well.
2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Acts 20:24, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Life is not easy. It’s a tough course with divots, and berms, and swamps, and high places that must be climbed.

But, we believers have been assigned a course to run through this life, and we have been given an individual ministry purpose to let our lives shine for the Savior who died for us. That ministry may be through our neighborhoods, through our workplaces, through our families, and through our community. Most likely, it all involves every corner of our lives. Our race is to run well through the trials, proclaiming the name of Jesus through our words and through our actions.
And, all around us – and there at the finish line – are all the believers with and ahead of us, cheering for us – cheering for our perseverance – as we finish well the life at hand. And, finishing well means that others see Jesus through us, and want to know Him because of what they see in us and through us.

Finishing well this life of faith is about having a plan – I want my life to go from here to there (and that journey can start today!). Finishing well this life of faith is about having a perspective – I know it’s not going to be easy, and I know it’s going to be very hard and very costly. Finishing this life of faith is about having perseverance – the “get up and go” even when the times are tough, and being in the fellowship of believers for encouragement and support. (Can you really expect to finish well without the support and encouragement of other believers?)

Start your race today.

If you are on a race, keep pushing forward.

If you need encouragement, let others know that you do.

Be prepared to say, “I live this life for one reason – to lift up the name of my Savior, Jesus.”

Finish well. The Finish Line is out there in our futures, and as we collapse into the arms of our Jesus, we want to hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”