Gene’s Daily Scriptural Postings
A Daily Email Devotional from the
Keep Your Eye on the Finish Line
by Pastor Ricky Kurth Printer Friendly Version
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"Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34).
Here in John 4, the Lord was just beginning His ministry, but He already had His eye on the finish line. What a great example for us! It is so easy to get caught up in the details of everyday life and give little or no thought to life's end. As Pastor Stam used to say, "Most people live for this life as if it were never going to end, and they live for the next life as if it were never going to begin, when the very opposite is the case!" Too often this is true of God's people as well.
Of course, as grace believers we are not just interested in what the Lord Jesus would do. Since we follow Paul as he followed Christ (I Cor. 11:1), we look to Paul as our example. But this is how he lived his life as well! He talked about how it was his goal, as he says, to "finish my course"(Acts 20:24). He too lived his life with his eye on the finish line!
If you are wondering what it means to live like this, notice that the Lord said that while on life's journey, He made it His "meat" to do God's will. The Bible word "meat" speaks of food of any kind, and food is the most important thing in your physical life. If you don't believe that, just try going without it for a few days! This writer has a friend who says that while fasting, he will sometimes go to the grocery store just to gaze uponfood! Thus the Lord was saying that continuing to do the will of His Father was the most important thing in life, and the way to live with the finish line in view.
How about you, dear Christian friend? Are you living your life with your eye on the finish line? It is important to notice that while the Lord talked about the finish line at the beginning of His ministry, Paul spoke of it as he neared the end of his life. And so if you are a young Christian, it is not too early to start living with the finish line in view, and if you are a "seasoned citizen" in the kingdom of God, it is not too late!