Written by Steve Hoernig, 12th Rock Volunteer & Missions Coordinator
A good start isn’t enough, finishing strong is as important as starting strong
When my son was in high school, he ran cross-country. When he began a race, he would start out slow and pace himself with everyone, but we noticed that when the leaders came across the finish line, they looked exhausted. However, when my son finished, he put on a burst of speed that he was saving up. Later, he learned to pace himself better and finished as a leader, leaving it all on the course.
Have you ever noticed in life that a good start isn’t always enough? Getting a good start is important. If you don’t get a good start your chances of finishing strong are not that good, but of the two, finishing strong is most the important. You can always overcome a bad start, but you can’t overcome a bad finish. If you finish bad, you lose! A good start alone is not enough to get us to the finish line. If you don’t believe me, ask the New York Yankees about last year’s season. They started out great and were consistent throughout the year with a record of 94 wins and only 68 losses. They won their division but were blown out by the Dodgers for the World Series. They started well but finished poorly.
We all have experienced the reality of this truth in our own everyday lives. Maybe, we start out well on a new diet or exercise program as part of our New Year resolutions. Or we may start well on a project around the house, a class in school, or in paying off some bills. But time passes and the diet ends, the exercise stops, we fail the class, the job doesn’t get finished and the bills are still unpaid. You see, though there is nothing wrong with a good start, it just isn’t enough.
Let me tell you about a man in the Bible who is a good example of this. King Solomon, the son of David, started out his reign very well. One time the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said to him “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” If you were Solomon, what would you have asked for?
Now, Solomon being a new king, was feeling overwhelmed by the task and the amount of people who would be looking to him for all things. So, he asked “Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For whom by himself is able to govern this nation of yours.” The Lord was pleased with his reply and the passage goes on to say, “Since you asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have you asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never be anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for both riches and honor so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”
The problem is, Solomon didn’t finish strong. I think you will agree with me that Solomon had a good start. You could say a “He had a great start!” But he had a poor finish. He looked like a sure winner. It is this great start that makes it so hard to understand his lousy finish. Solomon did not finish strong, he finished poorly. Why? You may ask. What went wrong? “Solomon, however, loved many foreign women…they were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.” So, the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. (Read 1 Kings chapters 3 and 11)
This is what I am talking about when I say finishing strong is more important that starting strong. Solomon went from being God’s man to having God tear the kingdom from his hands.
Do you allowed things in this life to replace God? Many you started strong and were passionate about God, but somewhere along the line, God got replaced by some idol. Maybe it is pursuit of money or fame. Maybe you’ve allowed un-forgiveness to stay in your heart. All of these can cause a person who has started strong to “no longer walk in the ways of the Lord” and end up finishing poorly.
Now a good example of finishing strong is the Apostle Paul. God met him on the road when he was headed to capture and imprison believers in Jesus. He became a believe himself and later went on to bring the Gospel message to the whole Roman empire. Listen to his own words from 1 Cor. 9:24-27. The Message
24-25 You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
26-27 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.
Paul dedicated his life as a missionary and remained strong throughout his life.
So how do we make sure that we finish strong? How can you and I ensure that we cross the finish line with power? We need to have “staying power.”
Stay Away
Stay away from things that you know will pull you down. Realize what your weaknesses are and be smart enough to stay away from them. Rather than think you can handle strong temptation, stay away from it.
13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Stay Focused
Don’t get distracted! It is going to take endurance to finish strong. It’s endurance that determines whether we will finish strong. And endurance is the fruit of godly character. The Christian life is not a 100-yard dash. It’s a marathon. It’s a long race, and long races don’t only require speed. It requires grit, guts, determination and finishing power.
It is never too late to begin doing what is right. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to get back on track. It is never too late to repent from getting sidetracked. It’s never too late to confess your sin to the Lord in genuine repentance and receive His forgiveness. You may have messed up and messed big time, but the race isn’t over yet. Just because you have fallen does not mean you still can’t finish strong.