Finishing What We Start

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Wednesday, January 16, 2008

"You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?"
—Galatians 5:7

Imagine, for a moment, that we are competing in a race. When the starter's pistol is fired, we take off, and I leave you in my dust. I'm running really well. Let's say we are going for 10 laps, and we are coming to the last one. I say to myself, "I am creaming the competition. I am going to go get a Krispy Kreme doughnut now." So I wander off the track. Let's say that you cross the finish line 10 minutes later. It is clear that I beat you, but if I didn't do the final lap and cross the finish line, then I have lost the race. It doesn't matter if I led for nine out of 10 laps. I had to finish the race I began.

In the same way, there are people who started off with a great burst of energy as they followed the Lord. Maybe you were one of those people. Maybe you came to Christ during the days of the Jesus Movement. Or perhaps you came more recently. That is great. But that was then and this is now. How you were running a year ago, or even a month ago, is no longer significant. But how you are running right now is. Are you keeping up the pace? Are you going to make it across the finishing line? You can make it if you want to.

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There will be times as you live the Christian life when it will be hard. You will have to hold on to God's Word and the promise that He will complete the work He has begun in your life (see Philippians 1:6). But will you make the effort to cross the finish line?

Used With Permission