“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7
On December 2nd, 1860, Charles Thomas Studd was born. C.T., as he came to be known, was born to privilege. He was also an able athlete and became known as England’s most gifted cricket player. (He was the Michael Jordan of cricket!) When he was 18 years old he was confronted by a pastor during a home visit about whether he personally knew Jesus as Savior. It was then that he and his two brothers bowed their knee to Jesus and were born again.
C.T. enrolled in Cambridge University and excelled. When he was twenty-four years old he attended a crusade where D.L. Moody was preaching. Studd and six of his classmates (who came to be known as The Cambridge Seven) were greatly moved and answered the call of Christ to the mission field. C.T. Studd joined Hudson Taylor in has China Inland Mission. Lest you think C.T. Studd’s mission venture in faith was buoyed by his privilege, he would later donate all of his inheritance to various ministries like the Salvation Army and missions. He walked the talk and lived a life dependent on the Lord.
C.T. Studd would spend fifteen years in China, six years in India, and would spend the rest of his life spreading the Gospel in Africa. He met his wife Priscilla on the mission field and had four children with her. C.T. Studd is best known for the quote, “This one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last. And when I am dying how happy I’ll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.” Studd died in 1931; his body was buried in Ibambi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. C.T. Studd finished well.
Those who serve the Lord have a desire to finish well. But spiritual failure is something we see all too often. If Satan can get a leader to fall, he brings a whole group of people with him. That’s why as leaders we are special targets of the enemy.
The truth is that few finish well. Take for examples the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel; not one king began well, let alone finished well. Even David, a king of the southern kingdom of Judah, the man after God’s own heart, he fell to temptation (2 Samuel 11-12). Even Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, fell into sin (1 Kings 10-11; Deuteronomy 17:14-20). What a sobering thought!
While few finish well, some have finished well. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our supreme example of One who finished well (John 19:30; Hebrews 12:1-2). Paul, the apostle finished well, as did Moses, Joseph, and Elijah. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to say when we stand before Him, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”? (2 Timothy 4:7).
Being narrow minded. The world and Satan who is its influencer, constantly promotes the idea that people should be open minded. The Devil’s mantra is do as thou wilt. It’s an anything goes world view. The consequence is a world filled with people confused about who they are. People are caught up in a world of chaos where there are no absolutes or certainties. They see themselves as a product of some mindless mud and chance fantasy that the order we see in Creation is a complex accident of nature. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has given some very absolute and clear truths to help us make sense of this life. They can all be found in the sixty-six books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. God has given us His word to shine light into our darkness and show us the way home to Him (Psalm 119:105).
Jesus was narrow minded. He said very clearly He didn’t come to abolish or destroy the Law of His Father, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-18). Jesus exhorted us to “enter by the narrow gate”:
Matthew 7:13-14 – “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.14 “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Jesus was narrow minded. He warned us about the broadways of the world; He said they lead to destruction. He commented that unfortunately, “there are many who go in by it and subsequently destroy their lives. The way to finish well is a narrow way, a difficult way, a way that only a few find and finish well by. So, if we want to finish well, we need to proceed with that understanding. Just because you start well, does not guarantee you will finish well.
How can we finish well? Below are some scriptural guidelines from God’s Word that are addressed to those who desire to finish well. There are more to be sure. Maybe it would be good for you to search the scriptures for yourself to discover others more relevant to your particular life situation. But here are some general truthful helps to finishing well. I hope and pray the Holy Spirit uses them to lead you on that straight and narrow way and that you finish well.
Don’t let anxiety get you down, PRAY!
Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
You aren’t going to finish at all if you don’t pray. Prayer is a declaration of dependence on the Lord. Prayer should be like breathing to the follower of Jesus. You aren’t going to be alive long or able to proceed far, without breathing. Pray without ceasing (Thessalonians 5:7). Start your day and everything else, in prayer. Continue your day, and everything else, in prayer. End your day, and everything else, in prayer. Pray.
Have an ear to hear all the Holy Spirit is saying.
Revelation 2:7 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’” (See also Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22; 13:9; Matthew 11:15; 13:9,43; Mark 4:9,23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35.)
This life can get confusing and complex very quickly. Jesus speaks, but it is the Holy Spirit that helps us hear and understand what Jesus is saying. Cultivate from the start a strong relationship and dependence on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us to salvation, gives us spiritual life, and shows us the way Jesus would have us to go (John 14:17-18; 16:13). The Holy Spirit helps us when we get weak (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit keeps us clean from the tar of the sinful world (Titus 3:4-7). The Holy Spirit helps us understand life is all about Jesus (John 15:26; 16:14).
Rely on God’s help – The Holy Spirit working in you.
Zechariah 4:6 – 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
One of the first things we need to understand in serving the LORD is that ITS NOT BY OUR MIGHT, NOR OUR POWER, BUT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Always pray, “Father, make me what I need to be, to do what you call me to do, for Your glory, by the Holy Spirit, until Jesus’ return.”
Acts 1:8 – “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Father has promised to empower us to serve Him (Acts 1:4-5). That empowerment Jesus described as dynamite. It is the power to do whatever God calls us to do. Efforts made in our own strength will be exposed by our frustration, futility, and failure. By faith, seek and receive the empowerment of the Holy Spirit from the father. We need to only ask in faith (Luke 11:13).
Acts 4:31 – “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Understand we need to seek and request to be refilled by the Holy Spirit and empowered. We are saved and regenerated, but we are still living in a fallen world with fallen bodies that leak. Seek the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:1,9,13-14,26,37 – “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
If you don’t have the Holy Spirit within, you DO NOT BELONG TO GOD. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is the key to finishing well.
Philippians 2:12-13 – “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
God will work in us, but that does not absolve us from any effort. We need to proceed with reverence and even tremble at the mightiness and grandeur of God our Creator and Sustainer. Always be humble in the presence of the LORD (1 Peter 5:65-6).
Willingly allow the Spirit to put into practice that which He teaches you.
Philippians 4:9 – The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (See also Romans 12:1-2).
2 Timothy 2:15 – Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Build and live out a holy habit of applying God’s word to your life. Be a scripture consumer. Be a note taker. Be a student of God’s word. Be a worker who learns how to handle and apply God’s word in every situation (2 Timothy 2:15).
Avoid the things that Jesus said would cause the lack of spiritual fruit.
Mark 4:18-19 – “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,19 “and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (See John 15; Galatians 5).
Jesus made it very simply for us. There are three things He specifically said we should avoid:
- The Cares of this world
- The Deceitfulness of Riches
- The Desires For Other Things
See? Simple. Ha! It’s not as simple as it may seem at first. These are the arrows of the evil one and he will constantly try to wound you with these piercing poisonous arrow heads.
Avoid loving, becoming attached to and consumed with the things of the world.
1 John 2:15-16 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”
The Apostle John learned his lessons well from His master Jesus. John applied Jesus’ words to life and later reiterated what Jesus said saying:
- The lust of the flesh – Me, me, me, mine, mine, mine
- The Lust of His Eyes
- Pride of life
Be on your guard! The enemy knows his time is getting shorter. If you are saying or thinking, “This thing could never happen to me…I could never be tempted in this way . . . I’m okay there,“ that is precisely what many have said before they fell! Through Jesus Christ we can be victorious! – Romans 8:37.
Avoid bitterness.
Hebrews 12:14-15 – “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;”
A bitter root is a poison of the soul. We have all experienced disappointments and struggles… perhaps even a Judas. But while there may be reasons for bitterness, there is no excuse for it.
Cultivate a spirit of joy in all things.
Philippians 4:4-18 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”
As difficult as it is at times, there are always things to rejoice in the Lord over… for starters… that our names are written down in heaven! The joy of the LORD is the strength of His people (Nehemiah 8:10). The joy of the LORD is an aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). Joy is not mere happiness. Happiness depends on happenings. Joy depends on Jesus. Joy is the inner assurance that no matter what happens, Jesus is in control. Joy got the Apostle Paul through jail cells, beatings, shipwrecks, and betrayals. Jesus’ joy will get you through too.
Take command of your thought life in Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
The enemy Satan will attack you in your thoughts. He is a master deceiver. He will create situations that will tempt you to be anxious. He will try to get you to live in a realm of “What ifs?” and “suspicion of others. He will tempt you to doubt the reliability of Jesus. He will tempt you to doubt God’s word. He has been doing that from the beginning! cf. Genesis 3). Learn to put on your spiritual armor and fight in the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 6:10-18). Know your enemy. Know your Commander even better.
Be content in the LORD.
Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. . .. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Pursue the Sea of Galilee and avoid the Dead Sea. Learn to trust Jesus to provide what you truly need. Where He guides, he will provide. If you lack what you need, stop, and think if you are where He has been guiding. Learn to live simply. Learn to be satisfied. Get your satisfaction and fulfillment from Jesus.
Avoid being judgmental.
Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
Romans 2:1 – “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
Don’t try and be God to those around you. Don’t be a hypocrite. Be humble and honest about who you are. Entrust others to the Lord and let Him be God to them.
Do contend for the faith by speaking the truth in love always.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 – “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”
Make sure you have the right biblically revealed Jesus, the right spirit, and the right gospel as revealed by God in His word. DO NOT DEVIATE FROM GOD’S WORD! Do that and you will remain on course and finish well. Live within the parameters of God’s word.
Ephesians 4:11-16 – “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Receive and grow in Jesus’ ministry gifts. Your objective should be to keep God’s people united, and to equip them against false doctrine and false teachers. Shepherd them, guide them, encourage them to keep moving forward. Encourage them to remain a part of the flock of God.
Speak the truth of God’s word (John 17:17) but speak it in His love (Romans 5:5). The word of God is a scalpel to lance pussy sinful wounds and through spiritual surgery bring healing. When you speak God’s truth in unloving ways, it’s like using a rusty butter knife that is only going to infect and complicate the injury.
2 Timothy 2:15,24-26 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. . .. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to. Learn to discern who is genuinely seeking truth and who is simply promoting themselves. Learn patience and that sometimes you just have to turn people over to the Lord in hope that they will repent and come to know the truth.
Jude 3 – “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
Be a champion of the LORD. Know His word, Stand on His word. Rely on His word. You will find as Spurgeon once said, “The word of God is a Lion that doesn’t so much have to be defended as much as it simply needs to be uncaged.” Let’s God’s word loose!
Be proactive – be an initiator – be a leader.
1 Corinthians 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
James 4:17 – “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Learn to take the initiative and rely on God’s grace to provide for you. Let the love of Jesus be your driving force and motive. Understand that if the Lord brings a need to your attention, he is likely calling you to meet that need or at least be a part of meeting that need.
Be secure in Christ’s authority.
Ephesians 5:23b – “. . . Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”
Colossians 2:10 – “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
Jesus is our Head; we get all our instruction and examples to follow in Him. We are complete in Him. All our righteousness and fulfillment should be based on our relationship with Jesus. We find our true purpose in life by seeking the will of God in Christ. He is our authority, and we need to prayerfully run all things by Him for His approval.
Maintain a spirit of humility and repentance.
1 Corinthians 3:7 – So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
Understand your worth is bound up in your relationship with God in Christ. Alone, you aren’t “anything.” What you do is merely the Lord working in and through you. It’s a privilege to serve the Lord. Your reward is serving Him.
1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
1 John 1:7-10 – “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
Be humble and rely on the grace of God. Trust Him to exalt you in His time. Don’t crave or lust after recognition. Keep short accounts. Deal immediately with sin. Maintain fellowship with Jesus.
Be a man of integrity until the end.
Proverbs 11:3 – “The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”
Proverbs 19:1 – “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.”
Luke 17:10 – So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”
2 Timothy 2:4 – “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Be honest. Be transparent. Don’t exaggerate your accomplishments. They are not your accomplishments but the Lord’s accomplishments in and through you. In the end, all we do will never measure up to what God deserves from us. All we can do is our best, and hope our best communicates to God our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for what He has done for us in Jesus. Keep this perspective, and you will finish well.
Understand the measure of success is faithfulness
1 Corinthians 4:2 – Morover it is required in stewards that one be fond faithful.
Finishing well doesn’t mean finishing with the biggest church, most received-Jesus-as-Savior notches in your evangelism belt, academic credentials, or worldly accomplishments. Success on God’s terms is faithfulness. Success to God is when we finish and remain faithful.
Dr. David Livingston, served as a missionary explorer to Africa from 1841-1873. He left his medical practice in London to spread the gospel in the heartland of the African continent and fought the Arab slave trade in the process. He became the best known and most loved of missionaries to Africa. He traveled a total of 29,000 miles during his missionary life. In 1873 David Livingston was found dead in an African hut, where he died on his knees in prayer. David Livingston died on his knees in prayer. What a way to go! When he died those who had been blessed by his ministry buried his heart under a tree in Africa and carried his embalmed body on a one-year journey to the sea where it could be taken to his homeland of England and buried there. Btu his heart remained in Africa. In England he received the burial honors due to a prince or king. What did this great partner of Jesus say about his life? Listen:
“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice, which is simply paid back as a small part of the great debt owed to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward of healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of glorious destiny hereafter?
“Away with such a word, such a view, and such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say, rather, it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us.” – David Livingston, missionary to Africa.
Always pray. Always trust the LORD. Always base all you do on His word. Serve fully, wholeheartedly. Do not be divided in your interests but set and live by holy priorities. Remain faithful and trust the Lord.
FINISH WELL!
2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”