How To Finish Well

Our days may come to seventy years,
 or eighty, if our strength endures…
Teach us to number our days,
 that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Ps. 90:10,12)

Many years ago, while on a prayer retreat in a mountain cabin I was reflecting on my life thus far. I thought about the number of years that had elapsed since Jesus found me and the number I would have left if I were to live to 70. (I know “70” is a figure of speech, but he does say we should “number our days.”) When I did the math, I realized I was about half way from new birth to last breath at the time.

I just now turned 70 this month and am looking at my place in this world again. (Again, I’m aware that Moses’ number 70 isn’t supposed to be taken literally. After all, he lived to 120! But maybe he was 70 when he wrote the Psalm and felt like he was about done. Who’s to know.)

In his case, Moses didn’t begin the most important days of his life until he was 80! It was then God called him to lead the Israelites out of slavery into the land of promise. So, if he had suspected he was on his last leg at 70, he was terribly mistaken and I’m glad he didn’t give up before his truest adventure began.

Anyway, back in the mountain cabin I wondered if I was half way through my lifespan, how would I choose to live the latter half? I likened it to the halftimes in basketball games in which I played as a youth when we’d all retreat to the locker room for a brief respite where the coach addressed us about our performance in the first half and made a plan for the second. He’d write some plays on the chalkboard and talk about what worked and what didn’t work so far and what had we had to do in the second half to give us the best chance of walking off the court as winners.

Wherever you are in your journey with Jesus, whether at first buzzer, just beginning the 2nd quarter, halftime, or in the final minutes of the game, let me share some advice that Coach Jesus gave me, counsel on how to finish well. Whether or not you’ve done poorly so far and you’re losing by a large margin or you’ve done well and are ahead at this point, some of the following might be helpful to you.

Some don’ts

Don’t rest on your laurels from the first half (2 Sam. 11:1) King David had won many battles against Israel’s enemies and instead of going out to war, this time he stayed home and got himself in trouble with a woman and her husband.

Don’t wallow in your failures in the first half (1 John 1:9) Confess your sins, repent, receive his forgiveness, and resolve to do better from here.

Don’t focus on your teammates’ mistakes (Matthew 18:21-22) They’re only human too. Forgive them seventy times seven.

Don’t underestimate your opposition (Eph. 6:10-18) Put on the full armor of God and stand up to all demonic resistance.

Don’t keep doing what didn’t work in the first half (Judges 2:16-23) Remember that well-worn definition of “insanity”: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Don’t neglect the fundamentals (1 Thess. 5:17) Keep praying, reading the Bible, fellowship with others…

Don’t become lackadaisical (1 Corinth. 10:12) If you think you are doing so well, be careful, you might be nearer a precipice than you realize.

Don’t quit (Matthew 10:22) “Whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

Some dos

Do evaluate your first half performance (2 Corinth. 13:5) “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” Take a long hard look at where you need to up your game.

Do be humble about your successes (1 Peter 5:5) He resists the proud and pours grace on the humble. Need more grace? Be humble yourself. “Pride comes before a fall…”

Do learn wisdom from your failures (Proverbs 1:7) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Turn experience into insight.

Do what he says (Jn. 14:23) If you love him, obey him. He’s the Coach and has more experience at winning than you.

Do stick with the fundamentals (Luke 6:49) Everybody needs a solid foundation to stand on, so stand on it!

Do play all the way to the buzzer! (2 Timothy 4:7) Keeping fighting the good fight and finish your race. Don’t stop short of the finish line.

You actually don’t have all the time in the world (this world anyway). No one knows how long their game (life) will last, when the final buzzer will go off. It might be decades from now or tomorrow.

Don’t assume that you’ve already played and finished your game, that you’ve done your part and now it’s time to rest on the bench (worse yet, in the stands) while others play. Your assignment may change as time goes on, but you don’t get to retire before God retires you!

In fact, retirement from the kingdom is not a thing. If you’re breathing, he must have something left for you to do. You probably have some adjustments to make to finish well, some dos and don’ts to do and don’t. And for your own sake and the sake of the kingdom, play all the way to the final buzzer (or last “trumpet” as the case may be)!

Only one life, a few brief years,

Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;

Each with its days I must fulfill.

Living for self or in His will;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last. (Missionary CT Studd)

Where are you in the game? The 1st half, halftime, 2nd half, or final minutes? What will you do to finish well?