Have you ever heard a quote that you can’t get out of your head? Who remembers the Big Mac jingle from the 70s? Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Why is it I can remember this so vividly – but can’t remember the name of the person I shook hands with and met 1 minute ago???

Anyway, over two decades ago, I was at a men’s retreat led by the now deceased Steve Farrar. During one of his talks, he said this unforgettable quote:

In the Christian life it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.

He went on to describe how starting something is usually easy, energetic, and exciting – a new job, a new savings and investment plan, new relationships, new classes, new hobbies, a new book, new home improvement projects . . .

The challenge is moving past the newness and staying with something over the long haul and completing whatever it is. Sticking with a job when it can be mundane and unfulfilling. Persevering through a relationship when it falls on hard times. Finishing a project though it has taken so much more time, energy, and money than originally planned for.

The same thing can happen in our walk with God. We get busy over the long haul. Bibles stay on the book shelf. Prayers go unanswered. People hurt us. We mess up and wonder if God will take us back.

During his talk, Mr. Farrar named names of those who started incredibly strong and had so much potential – but now they are out of the scene. Morally compromised, irrelevant, abandoned the faith, or living in obscurity. You and I can probably think of some names to add to the list.

He also went through several major figures in the Bible that started strong but didn’t finish well. Solomon, Sampson, many of the Old Testament kings, Judas Iscariot, . . .

In the Christian life it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.

How can you or I be any different? What can we do to avoid finishing poorly, finishing average, or not finishing our walk with God at all?

The Apostle Paul started terribly, and yet he finished incredibly strong. As he sensed the nearness of his death, he penned these words:

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (2 Timothy 4:6)

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith . . . (2 Timothy 4:7)

He shows us three big takeaways on how we can finish strong:

Fought a GOOD Fight – Life is a fight. Challenges. Struggles. Hassles. Feeling like we can’t go on. Sometimes we get hit. Losses. However, sometimes we do the hitting. Overcoming obstacles. Significant breakthroughs. Winning. Defeating evil. And it’s a good fight – not great, not perfect, not untouchable. But a good fighter keeps fighting, getting back up, and persevering until the match has ended.

Finished MY course (race) – Not a sprint but a long marathon. Not someone else’s race (comparison, jealousy, or living the life others plan for us and not God’s plan). Runners get tired, injured, and may want to quit. Challenging terrain. However, sometimes runners get a break and there is easy trail running downhill. We get encouraged by and we encourage other racers. We go farther than we did last time. A good runner keeps grinding it out until the end – even if they aren’t going to finish in “first place.”

Kept THE faith – The faith – not compromised beliefs. Using discernment to watch out for swindlers and deceivers. Believing Jesus’ statement that he is the only way to God: I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Having a sense of urgency about making our days count and impacting others for God and his kingdom. Pursuing an active relationship with God and not treating him as the great vending machine in the sky. Staying strong with our faith until the end of our lives.

In the Christian life it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.

All of the great ones say the same thing (at least on Twitter/X): The secret to life is to keep showing up consistently over long stretches of time, especially when you don’t FEEL like it. When we finally arrive at the eternal finish line, the greatest words we’ll hear from Jesus will be: Well done good and faithful servant. (Matthew 25:23) And that makes it all worth finishing.

Blessings,

Dave 🙂

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