Finish The Race
God didn’t save you to start a race. He saved you to finish it. You weren’t recruited from a losing devil to live life as a losing Christian.
The God’s Word Translation of Philippians 1:6 states the following:
“I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.”
As Paul states in his prayer to the Philippians, he’s convinced that the work that God started in our lives will reach completion.
The word completion can be defined as the process of finishing something. One synonym of the completion is achievement.
We have to realize that every accomplishment is attached to a process. Jesus had to endure crucifixion before God called him to the throne.
We also have to realize that there’s a purpose for the process. Jesus didn’t encounter death on the cross just to remain on the cross. He did it to save the world.
God has the same intent for us. He doesn’t want us going through adversity just to go through it. He ultimately wants us to grow through it!
The God’s Word Translation of 1 Corinthians 15:58 mentions the following:
“So, then, brothers and sisters, don’t let anyone move you off the foundation ⌊of your faith⌋. Always excel in the work you do for the Lord. You know that the hard work you do for the Lord is not pointless.”
Nothing that we ever encounter or endure is useless. EVERY part of the process is necessary and contributes to our growth as men and women of God! That’s why we have to embrace every detail of God’s plan, and trust even the toughest trials of our life.
After making the transition from employment to entrepreneurship, I entered into one of the toughest seasons of my life. I found myself in an unfamiliar place.
I didn’t have the comfort zone of a salary, but I still had the same financial responsibilities. I found myself battling fatigue from making countless Uber trips, and managing an expanded life coaching roster while remaining committed to the calling on my life.
I watched the woman that I wanted to marry become the weapon that tried to prosper against me.
I realized that this was only a tough stretch of the race not the entire course. Our trials are designed to help us develop the necessary endurance to finish our race. Tough tasks are assigned to tough disciples! Not only can we handle them, our strength is enhanced from enduring them!
Someone is counting on you to finish your race, in a similar fashion to us counting on Jesus to finish his. When I found out about a recent preaching opportunity, I went to sleep with great excitement but I woke up with a great headache. Although the headache could have been from not hydrating properly the day before, I believe it was designed to test the commitment to my calling.
Being assigned to a race doesn’t make you exempt from discomfort, and an injury doesn’t excuse you from your assignment! The commitment to your calling cannot be contingent upon your circumstances. This could be the reason that God hasn’t revealed your purpose or the resources to obtain it!
God intentionally designed your calling with challenges attached to it. He wants to see your commitment to completing the race before revealing the next phase of the course!