“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).
TEXT — 2 Timothy 4:9-22
Message
Those who start a race on a high note do not get the laurels if they fail to end on a correspondingly high note. They would not be remembered for a flying beginning not sustained to the final lap of the competition. The record book would only mark them for a dismal finish while it awards prizes to those who begin well and conclude without dropping their zeal.
We have the picture of these two contrasting classes of runners in our passage. It tells us of Demas who started virtuously, but “hath forsaken (the way of Christ), having loved this present world”. He exemplifies a deadly desertion from the path leading to heaven. On the other hand, we are told of Paul who stuck to Christ till the end, and had the assurance that the Lord “will preserve [him] to his heavenly kingdom”.
In the race to heaven, after the Calvary encounter, the believer must pray for the grace of God to live a holy and unspotted life for consecrated and sacrificial service to his Master. We need the sanctification experience to wholeheartedly love and continue with the Lord without compromising with the world. We are also guided by the comfort of the Holy Spirit as challenges arise.
The pearly gates do not admit those who needlessly fear for their lives and desert the Lord in the midst of storms. They are also not for those who, in anticipation of challenges, refrain from preaching the gospel of Christ. Entrance into the Kingdom is for saints prepared to go all the way: starting strong with the Lord and finishing strong with Him.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
To finish well, don’t build again anything you once destroyed – Galatians 2:18 “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor”. Many believers and churches who once were strong on holiness and none conformity to worldliness are stylishly embracing it. Paul exclaimed in his epistle to the Galatians believers “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.” Galatians 3:3-4. Therefore, we should WATCH!
This is a great message for me. I have already loss or failed looking at my position in life. 😭😭😭😭 who will hold my hand to rise up again I’m very weak and can’t stand in my Christian faith hmmmmm..
I’m blessed
To finish well, don’t build again anything you once destroyed – Galatians 2:18 “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor”. Many believers and churches who once were strong on holiness and none conformity to worldliness are stylishly embracing it. Paul exclaimed in his epistle to the Galatians believers “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.” Galatians 3:3-4. Therefore, we should WATCH!
This is a great message for me. I have already loss or failed looking at my position in life. 😭😭😭😭 who will hold my hand to rise up again I’m very weak and can’t stand in my Christian faith hmmmmm..
Connect with Emmanuel GCK this December 21-26.