FINISH STRONG
As our world experiences the closing moments of 2017, we
corporately embrace and enact a meaningful metaphor for this wondrous journey
called LIFE. In the wise words of King Solomon, “Better is THE END OF A
THING than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the
proud in spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) This sage axiom is mission critical to
achieving positive results as we trek through the unknown territory of 2018.
Finishing strong, i.e. succeeding in every arena of life, requires VISION,
PATIENCE and PERSPECTIVE.
According to Dictionary.com, VISION is defined as “a vivid
imaginative conception” (or) “the act or power of anticipating that which will
or may come to be.” To be sure, what we SEE is a determining factor in what
we will BE and, by extension, what we will DO. Solomon declared, “Where
there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18) As we navigate through
2018 with the help and direction of the Lord, extraordinary vision will be
required. That is, we must look beyond any unexpected situations,
temporary circumstances, or occasional barriers in this coming year in to
visualize and actualize our God-ordained purpose and destiny.
Dictionary.com tells us that PATIENCE is the
“ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted
with delay” (or) “the bearing of provocation, misfortune, or pain, without
complaint” (or) “quiet, steady perseverance.” Key Questions: Which
mountains are you now positioned to scale? What barriers are you prepared
to handle? What delays are you determined to ignore…to achieve your
life-dream?
Finishing strong in every God-given task necessitates PERSPECTIVE,
which according to Dictionary.com is “a visible scene extending to a
distance” (0r) “the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one in meaningful
relationship.” Therefore, perspective
is the first cousin of vision.
It sees the future, but does so in a very practical and proactive manner.
That is, perspective allows us to objectively visualize the key
connections between our past, present and future. When the Apostle Paul
spoke of “forgetting those things which are behind,” he did so in the context
of a personal recognition that 1) “I count not myself to have apprehended,” 2)
I am “reaching forth unto those things which are before,” and 3) “I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:12-14)
Remember this. Past is prologue to present. As such,
your past is not your enemy; neither is your present, no matter what either one
looks like or feels like to you. Both offer significant insights that
will ultimately birth and develop the vision, preparation and realization of
your future.
When God created us, He foreordained our future out of a clear
foreknowledge of our character and calling. That is, GOD ENDED US in the same moment
that HE STARTED US. As
such, we believers are elected “according to the foreknowledge of God.” (I
Peter 1:2) Therefore, we can be “confident of this very thing, that he who
has begun a good work in [us] will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6) There can be no doubt. There IS no doubt. WE WILL FINISH STRONG!
How so? How can we be filled with faith and confidence about
FINISHING STRONG – today and always – especially in the presence of challenging
problems and setbacks? In a word, we must capture and cling to these
indispensable prerequisites: COVENANT
FAITH. UNSHAKABLE FOCUS. UNCEASING PRAYER. WORD KNOWLEDGE.
EAGLE-EYE VISION. ENDURING PATIENCE. SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE.
LIFE CONSISTENCY. And, don’t forget this one: TENACITY.
You can do it! YOU
WILL DO IT! In the coming year, my intercessory prayer is that
your life, your health, your family, your ministry, your career and every
single person you touch will be highly favored and immeasurably blessed!
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