Are You Finished?

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/22s7b2

The Christian life is an ongoing process of growth. We enter into Christ as infants, babies. But we don’t stay that way. Or at least we should not stay that way.

As we continue to read the Bible, surround ourselves with other Christians and pray to God, we begin to mature in our faith and grow in our Christian actions.

A bumper sticker read, “Be patient. God isn’t through with me yet.” And isn’t that the truth? Are we every really finished, complete, totally matured in our Christian life? I don’t believe that we should ever cease to learn, grow and work for our Lord. But there does come a time in our lives when we realize that our work here is close to being completed.

The apostle Paul wrote one of his last epistles to his younger preacher friend, Timothy. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul expresses his realization that his work here was coming to an end.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Paul was a tireless worker for the Lord. We read in 2 Corinthains 11:24-27 that he endured shipwrecks, beatings, perils of the sea, perils of robbers, and perils even of his own people. He was often found to be in hunger and thirst, yet he continued to be faithful to his goals. He said in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Those are the words of a man who would not be finished until he reached his goals.

Earlier in his lifetime Paul expressed his life’s devotion to the glory of his Lord. In Philippians 1:20b-21 he says, “so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He goes on in that passage to outwardly debate the benefits of dying and going on to his reward versus staying and continuing to help the saints in Philippi and other places. But, as he stated in Philippians 4:11, he had “learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”

Paul was always wanting to do all that he could for his Lord. Maybe that’s why in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he prays three times to have a thorn in his flesh removed by the Lord. Certainly he felt that he could do even more good with that problem out of the way. But even though the answer was no, he continued to grow, mature and work for the Lord. He wasn’t finished yet.

Of course, one of the motivations for Paul’s tireless efforts was his ongoing gratitude for being saved. Paul, as Saul, is first introduced to us in Acts 7 when Stephen is being stoned to death. Saul consented to his death and held the outer garments of those who killed him. Soon thereafter, Saul began a wider persecution of the Christians, spreading them abroad in an effort to escape him.

Jesus forgave him of all that. But he wasn’t through with him yet. There was much work to be done in spreading the gospel throughout the world. On several missionary journeys Paul and others took that good news to a sinful world.

Paul mentored others to continue in his work. Timothy was one who received this training. In 1 Timothy 2:15-16 he says, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”

Paul consistently showed his submission to the will of his Lord. God wasn’t through with him when he was saved, nor when he established churches, nor when he mentored others to preach.

Paul persevered. He fought the good fight, as a warrior for his Lord. He kept the faith, and entrusted it to others as well. He finished his course, doing all that was expected of him in his lifetime.

Only then, as his earthly work was coming to a close, did Paul acknowledge that he was finished.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we be reminded that as long as there are lost souls in our area God isn’t finished with us yet. May we realize that God can always use us in His service to lead others to salvation.

Our thought for the day: “Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you are alive, it isn’t.” Richard Bach

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.