2 Corinthians 8:10-12(NKJV)
10And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not
only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;
11but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.
12For if there is first a willing
mind, it is accepted according to
what one has, and not according to
what he does not have.
You know it is one
thing to get all excited about something, it is another thing to stay excited
and engaged, to see it through and finish.
We see this issue in all walks of life including our faith walk.
Our faith walk with
Jesus is meant to be a long term, life long event. So
many times you will see new Christians all full of excitement, but a
year or two later it has faded away.
They started but they couldn't finish.
What does it take to
be a finisher? Discipline. It's simple but not always easy. That's why it takes discipline. That ability to make yourself stay on task
even when you don't want to.
Let me give you an
example from the physical world. A
couple of months ago I decided to start doing a minimum of 10 pushups a day,
every day, for the rest of my life; as long as I am able. For me it was a way to commit to a minimum
level of physical fitness.
It was pretty easy
at first when I was excited about it.
Now that I've been doing it awhile, there have been a few days that I
just haven't felt like doing it.
Discipline is making my body do it when I don't really want to, day
after day.
So here is the
simple part. First, accept Jesus as your
Lord and Savior. If you haven't done so
already, simply say a prayer asking Jesus to come into your life and guide you. Next step, get into the Word every day and
pray every day. Simple right? This is the part that takes discipline. It's real easy to let life interfere with
your Spiritual walk. Don't let that
happen. Stay disciplined.
Scripture tells us
that there is an advantage to being a finisher.
What could that be? Well in your
spiritual walk with Jesus it will be a life beyond measure. Don't believe me? Give it a try!
This is a great lesson. As you have also mentioned time after time, the Bible is a book of balance. While it is important to have discipline and be a finisher, it is also very important to listen to God and let him guide you. Follow God's will for your life. Sometimes God's will and plan for you doesn't include finishing something you planned on doing. Dad, you taught me this with my challenges in running. When I was disappointed that I may not be able to keep running, you reminded me that even though it may be something I want to continue doing, God may have different plans. I had to stop running in college and stop running in general. I felt like I wasn't a "finisher" but you helped me recognize that it was more important to follow God's plan than "finish" my own plan.
ReplyDeleteGreat point Leah!
ReplyDelete