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It’s not How You Start, It’s How You
Finish
by Bro. Justin Osborne
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished
my course,
I have kept the faith:
Growing up my passion in life was playing baseball. I would
practice for hours outside of my Grandmother’s house throwing a
tennis ball against a brick wall, while pretending to be the
great Nolan Ryan. Every time that I went to the mound as a
little boy my focus was to throw strikes and be the best player
on the field. Believe it or not, that was not always the case.
On one occasion I remember a game where I gave up 8 runs in the
first inning alone. I walked back to the dugout defeated and
ready to throw in the towel. My father saw the disappointment in
my eyes as I sat there alone on the bench, so he came over to
give me a word of encouragement. I will never forget the words
he said to me that day, “Son, it’s not how you start, it’s
how you finish.” The rest of that game I pitched and did not
give up another run. My team did not win that day, but I walked
away from that game with a new outlook on life, “Finish
Strong.”
As we read in 2 Timothy chapter 4 we find Paul nearing the end
of his life and therefore the closing stages of his ministry
here on earth. Paul knew that his time was near the end so he
concluded his final letter to Timothy by summing up the
testimony of his life, “2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
We know from studying the scriptures that Paul’s Christian
life was filled with trials, tribulations, but also many
triumphs along the way. Though he had been shipwrecked, beaten,
imprisoned, forsaken, and sentenced to death by beheading, he
knew that all was done for the cause of Christ.
We need to understand that the Christian life is not a 100 yard
dash. In fact, it is not a one mile relay either. The Christian
life is a marathon that we run everyday of our lives. Sometimes
we face obstacles and may even become overwhelmed by the
situation or circumstance that we are facing. There are even
many times that we are the ones who cause our lives to be in
disarray. I am certain that the Apostle Paul encountered many of
the same difficulties we face in the marathon we call the
Christian life. I do believe though, that we can learn how to
finish in the midst of facing the struggles and storms of life
by studying the testimony of the Apostle Paul.
You know, I can’t help but wonder sometimes at the end of a day
of persecution, personal problems, and even prison that Paul did
not end the day with his head held low and his eyes filled with
despair. When I read the final testimony of his life however, I
begin to smile and ponder the thought of Paul sitting on a bench
some where, and God coming up behind him and saying, “Son
it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” Christian you
might stumble out of the blocks, blow the lead, or even squander
an opportunity in life but never focus on the failures in the
beginning, start focusing on how you are going to finish. Take a
page out of the life of the Apostle Paul, and “Finish
Strong.”
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