We CAN Finish Strong!
FINISHING STRONG
by Max Lucado
Remain. Hang in there. Finish. Stick to it until it is done.
Unfortunately, very few of us do that. Our human tendency is to quit
too soon. Our human tendency is to stop before we cross the finish
line.
Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things:
A partly mowed lawn. A half-read book. Letters begun but never
completed. An abandoned diet. A car up on blocks.
Or, it shows up in life’s most painful areas:
An abandoned child. A cold faith. A job hopper. A wrecked marriage. An
unevangelized world.
Am I touching some painful sores? Any chance I’m addressing someone who
is considering giving up? If I am, I want to encourage you to remain. I
want to encourage you to remember Jesus’ determination on the cross.
Jesus didn’t quit. But don’t think for one minute that he wasn’t
tempted to. Watch him wince as he hears his apostles backbite and
quarrel. Look at him weep as he sits at Lazarus’s tomb or hear him wail
as he claws the ground of Gethsemane.
Did he ever want to quit? You bet.
That’s why his words are so splendid.
"It is finished."
Are you close to quitting? Please don’t do it. Are you discouraged as a
parent? Hang in there. Are you pessimistic about your job? Roll up your
sleeves and go at it again. No communication in your marriage? Give it
one more shot. Can’t resist temptation? Accept God’s forgiveness and go
one more round. Is your day framed with sorrow and disappointment? Are
your tomorrows turning into nevers? Is hope a forgotten word?
Remember, a finisher is not one with no wounds or weariness. Mother
Teresa is credited with saying, "God didn’t call us to be successful,
just faithful."
The Land of Promise, says Jesus, awaits those who endure (?Matthew
10:22). It is not just for those who make the victory laps or drink
champagne. No sir. The Land of Promise is for those who remain to the
end.
Submitted by Deb Gonser-Co.Minister-4-Given M.T.M
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