Finish Well!

My granddaughter June is a runner. She runs the 800 meter race beautifully. I love her stride! This Spring she made it again to state finals. I wanted to go but sadly we were unavailable that day. My daughter made a video of it for me. I was so happy that I could be a part of the excitement even if a few hours late. And just as exciting–the Lord spoke to me through this race, and June’s participation! Can I share it with you?

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!

1 Cor. 9:24 AMP

I didn’t see the actual start of the June’s race–it wasn’t part of the video but usually June starts out strong. She’s often first or close to the top two runners. My video opened up with two laps to go. Her family, in the grandstands, were cheering and yelling, “Go, June, go!!” On that second to last lap it seemed like she pulled back to fifth. The family yelled louder! They expressed concern between themselves.

June gave it all she had in that last final stretch of the race! She finished well! She won a prize! She placed third! Look closely at June’s arms and face and body posture. It screams “I’m giving it all I’ve got!”

I’m thinking that you probably already know what the message was that the Lord had for me in watching this race. Yes! It has to do with the above verse I quoted. Finish well! You are on the last stretch Jackie and give it all you’ve got! Finish well! On the final stretch of life, you don’t give up. You don’t let down your guard. Instead you give it all you’ve got. You push forward. Jackie, push forward. Give it all you’ve got. Finish well!

When young or older women share with me their exhaustion at making dinners for their families, my quip is: It’s not a sprint–its a marathon! There’s fifty to sixty years of making dinners for your families! It’s a marathon! Pace yourself!

But when you are nearing the end of your life race, the last final stretch of this marathon, the Lord’s message to us is “Give it all you’ve got!” (But really, do any of us know when the ‘last stretch’ of our life is?)

What does it mean? Give it all you’ve got?

• Love your God more than you have ever loved before!
• Love your spouse stronger, harder, more sacrificially than ever!
• Love your children, grandchildren and neighbors powerfully!
• Accept the encouragement of your family and friends who are cheering you on!
• Much prayer! Much scripture! Much worship!
• Don’t shy away from the hard ministry.
• Tap into the strength of the Lord and give it all you’ve got!!
• Keep your eyes on Jesus–He’s the Prize at the end of the life race!

I heard of a christian lady who went through a spiritual cleansing ministry at the ripe old age of eighty–well, almost 80. Why would someone choose this at the end of their life’s journey? Her testimony was, “I want to be a clean house for the Holy Spirit to live in!” I sense this is a good example of a heart that wants to finish well.

Here’s the apostle Paul’s testimony of his goal of finishing well:

 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Ecclesiastes 7:8 says: The end of a thing is better than its beginning.

We all make mini-messes of things in our lives. As my church says, “Life is messy but Jesus is real”. The best way to end well is clear up the messes early as we go along life’s journey. Keep Jesus the real thing in our lives, more and more, and most in old age.

Thanks to my granddaughter June for all her preparation and hard work to finish the state finals race well!

Thanks to my best friend Jesus for giving me a spiritual message from the race and the encouragement to end well.

Thanks friends for listening to my story! Let’s keep our eyes on JESUS all the way to the finish line of life!!

Lyrics

The minutes dissolve as I fight this fall
I’m learning to crawl, and trembling I call
Restrain my heart, replace it with You
Jesus I deny myself, I will follow You
‘Cause there will be a day
When all will fade away and all that will remain
Is loving you face to face
Jesus, I pray that You would come today
Faith will be replaced
With loving You face to face
You are the Gate which I entered in
You are the Path in which I’m following
You are the Light that carries me through
You are the guide leading me back to You
‘Cause there will be a day
When all will fade away and all that will remain
Is loving you face to face
Jesus, I pray that You would come today
Faith will be replaced
With loving You face to face (With loving You face to face)

If you connect with this blog episode, and desire a freedom in the area of finances, we encourage you to go to Amazon and purchase our book with personal activations and engagements to help you heal and deal with these issues. Financial Healing: A Spiritual Journey by Richard and Jackie Nalos is available in soft cover or Kindle on Amazon.

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