I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
-II Timothy 4:7
I believe that one of the goals of the Christian faith is not only that we live well, but that we also finish well. The Bible gives us some examples of persons in the Bible who ran a good race, but in the end did not have a strong finish. The Bible tells of three kings, right in succession, who started out strong, but ran into serious trouble later on. Saul had tremendous potential, and he got off to a fairly good start, but he took his eyes off of the Lord, and began to go his own way instead of God's way. In the end he finished poorly. David was a man after God's own heart. He was doing great, until he took his eyes off of God and became focused on another man's wife. His life was never the same after that, and he was plagued by strife within his own family.
Solomon too got off to a strong start, but he like his father, allowed himself to be lead astray. In the end he stopped being completely faithful to God and turned his heart towards idols. He did not finish well.
We see examples of this right on down through the present age. A few years ago the singer James Brown passed away. Here was a man that came out of poverty and some difficult circumstances to make a name for himself as a singer. Do you know what he was called? "The Godfather of soul." His music is still played on radio stations across the nation and his style has influenced untold numbers of singers and performers. Sadly, James Brown did not finish well. Over the years he had numerous run-ins with the law, there were DUI's, drug arrests, and reports of spousal abuse. James Brown accomplished much in music, but he did not finish well.
Christ has called us to not only run a good race, but to also finish well. The high call of God in Christ Jesus is to move forward in faith, resist the devil, and live in a manner that honors God and is characterized by godly integrity – and keep on doing so right until the end.
