Finish Well

 

By Andrea Merrell

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, 

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 NIV

The woman’s testimony, shared with a group of her peers, spoke of promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, and shoplifting. She couldn’t hold a job or relationship because no one trusted her.

“Then I got saved,” she said. “I expected everything to change immediately. To be free of all my ungodly behavior. But I stayed so focused on my past that it kept pulling me backward. I kept failing the Lord time and time again.”

The Word for You Today says:

When you focus on something, you empower and give it momentum. That’s why Satan wants you to concentrate on things that don’t matter. The Bible tells us to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith.” God doesn’t pay by the week; He pays at the end. You will be rewarded based on how you finish, not how you started.

When the woman switched her focus, her life began to change—in every way. She took her eyes off her past and put them on Jesus. She filled her mind and heart with the Word and learned to shut out the voices trying to pull her back into a life of sin and shame.

The word tells to “work out our own salvation … to cultivate it and actively pursue spiritual maturity” (Philippians 2:12 AMP), but God doesn’t demand perfection. No matter how many times we fall, He lifts us up and puts us back on the right path, promising to help us and never leave us.

Remember … it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash