This week I had to make a hard phone call to a great friend! We are learning each other and are learning how our definitions are different. We spoke for about 45 minutes, then I hung up the phone and proceeded to the bed. I slept very peacefully that night!
I have a fear––a fear of not finishing well! You see I have not finished well in a couple of pretty big deals, opportunities, and relationships in my life. Part of the reason I made that call was because I love my friend and desire his success––more than I desire the friendship. The other part was that I want to finish well.
I have a friend named Ben who lives in Colorado. He finishes well in almost everything he does. Now he is younger than I am. I was his leader, yet he taught me something, “Finish well! Start with the end in mind!”
Today, I am asking the question of my life. “How do you finish well?” Now don’t go thinking that I personally am contemplating quitting anything…I AM NOT! I just want to make sure I FINISH WELL!
I want to finish well as a husband, as a dad, as a pastor, as a leader, as a coach, and on the list goes! Yet, I find way too often that FEAR paralyzes me into not finishing well!
Remember my friend Ben? As far as I know, he isn’t afraid of anything. He has stared rejection in the face––won. He has stared at death eye to eye––won. He has stared down direction for life––won. Fear just isn’t an option for him.
Ben, therefore, FINISHES WELL!
God, I want to FINISH WELL!!!!! (Can you here the loud scream in my heart and soul?)
My wife is preaching about FEAR this week. The title of her sermon: “It’s Not About the Fear!” In her studies for this sermon, she shares these 2 nuggets of truth…
Isaiah 12:2, “See, God has come to save me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.”
John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
So how do I get there? The answer is EASY! LIVING the answer will require a lot!
Trust in the Lord! He is my strength! He will give me victory! His peace is a gift to me from Him alone!
I’ll FINISH WELL! Why? I am starting with the end in mind…Heaven! No Fear! Eternal Peace! Jesus!