With twenty one years of LDC (leadership development courses) behind us, the term "finishing well" is a very familiar one to us, a phrase that we use regularly. One of the main goals of LDC is to help slightly older leaders to finish the race well, and not burn out on the way or fall into some of the pitfalls that can so easily trip up Christian leaders. It's amazing to think that, back when LDCs started, there was relatively little literature written about this topic. Many books had been written about getting started with God and growing as a disciple…. but few writers had tackled the topic of "growing old in God" and continuing to be fruitful to the end.
That has changed in recent years. A spate of scandals in the 1990s - with TV evangelists embezzling finances or running off with their secretary - made the whole world aware that how you finish is even more important than how you were at the start, and who you are on the inside is even more important than how you or your ministry look on the outside.
My attention was caught recently by the title of a book: “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.” I haven’t read the book, so I can’t tell you what it’s about, but the title sums up for me much of what our journey with God is like: we keep doing the last thing that God said, irrespective of whether it is glamorous or exciting or full of variety. A lot of life is simply about being obedient, day after day; doing the same things, making the same right choices and continuing on the lifelong journey to finishing well.
So it's not surprising that the Bible is full of principles for finishing well. The topic was always an important one in God's eyes, even before it caught the attention of modern authors. Yet a short study of well known Bible characters reveals the shocking statistic that fewer than a third of them actually finished well and served God faithfully to the very end.
I wonder if that statistic is higher or lower in the 21st Century. When you look at our modern world, you'll quickly see that the prevailing attitude is one of giving up when things get tough, and generally opting to choose the easiest and most comfortable path in life. Exercise requires discipline and so we allow ourselves to get unfit. Dieting is hard work and so we remain overweight. Working through conflicts is tiring and so we change church, opt for divorce or back off from a friendship. Learning a new skill (a language, a musical instrument, a craft....) calls for hours of practice and so we give up before we really become proficient. Following a dream or vision requires courage and perseverance, and so we prefer to remain on the safe ground of wishful thinking.
Galatians 6: 9 Let us not lose heart and become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Hebrews 12: 1 - 3 Let's run the race with our eyes fixed on Jesus, so that we don't become weary and give up.
At the end of his life, the apostle Paul was able to say, “I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim 4:7 Finishing well doesn’t start when we’re old (although it’s never too late to begin.) More usually, it’s the result of a whole lifetime of obedience in the same direction.
