Many people think about the
last years of life as an opportunity to just relax. But this does not align
with God's purpose for us; He wants us to serve Him all the days of our lives.
Let's look at the apostle
Paul's journey and explore what it means to finish well. He spent time pouring
into others until the very end of his life. Consider the letters he wrote to
Timothy from a prison cell prior to being executed. In every season of life,
God calls us to serve others.
And notice how, when writing
about his life, the apostle chose words descriptive of a battle. He understood
the human struggle against sin as well as the challenges of pain and
persecution in the trials we all face--even in doing kingdom work like
preaching Christ to a fiercely resistant society.
This godly servant's life was
also marked by surrender. His mindset is obvious in these words: "present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual service of worship" (Rom. 12:1). He was not afraid of Nero, nor
was he struggling to stay alive. Paul trusted God to determine everything about
his life, including where he would go, what he would do, and when he would die.
Death did not scare him, because he knew he would dwell with Jesus forever.
God doesn't require our lives
to be perfect in order to finish strong. We can live life fully and be ready to
meet our Maker by surrendering, walking victoriously with Christ, and serving
others. If Jesus called you home today, would you--like Paul--be confident that
you lived well until the end?
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