Finish Well

Job 8:7 (AMPC)

“Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will greatly increase.”

It’s January, and most of us have started the year with a list of New Year’s Resolutions. We have a plan for what we want our life to look like going into the new year. Maybe you’ve decided to exercise more or read your Bible more. Maybe you’re going to cut out sugar this year or be a better steward of your finances. Whatever it is, you’ve started the year with big plans. But the truth is that most of us will give up on our resolution within the first month of the year. Recent studies suggest as many as 75% of us give up within the first month, and only 10% of us achieve our goals. Another study suggests only 1% keep their resolutions for the entire year.

It’s easy to start out well. We gear up for the race at the running block full of optimism and a confidence that we will win the race. But then reality sets in. The race is longer than we expected and harder than we expected. There are things that come up in our lives that we didn’t plan for. There might be pain and suffering and roadblocks we encounter as we navigate through life.

It’s not how we start the race that matters. Maybe you received Jesus at a young age and you’ve grown up in the church. Maybe you came to the Lord later in life and you worry that you don’t have enough time left to make it count. How we start and when we start are insignificant. What matters is how we finish.

Paul says to run the race before us with the mindset of winning. We need to finish strong. It’s about perseverance. So whether or not you keep your New Year’s Resolutions this year or whether they fall along the wayside, follow the example of Paul: set aside everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and keep running the race. If you fall off the bandwagon, get back on. Pick up where you left off. No one is counting the number of times you have to restart. The only thing that matters is how you finish. So finish strong!

Prayer: Father, I thank you that even if I start this race late in the game and even if I fall off the path a million times, you are still there waiting for me and encouraging me to get back up and keep running. Help me to finish strong, Lord. Help me to keep my eyes on you and to pursue you no matter what. Don’t allow me to be distracted by the things the world has to offer. Help me keep going and keep moving forward so that I can finish strong. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.