Completion!

I love finishing a task, standing back to enjoy the reward for my work. One of the Summer tasks that gives me great pleasure is mowing my lawn. About 2 hours of perspiration trickling down my face and noise from tractor and trimmer filling my ears gives the me the opportunity to stand back and look over 1.5 acres of lawn that gives evidence of the effort. Not all ‘rewards’ are so immediate, are they?  

My adult children give me great joy as I hear of the ways in which they are making their corners of the world better places. They are productive people, building good lives, growing their own families. And, I remember the struggles, now 3 decades past, of dealing with teens who did not always make the best choices! Even though we had really good kids there was more than a little effort involved in helping them become responsible adults.

A couple of days ago I wrote of being ‘pointing in the right direction’ which is important.
Staying on track requires keeping our eyes on the prize, setting goals and anticipating results.

Christian, what reward do you desire most?  Wealth? Recognition? Respect? Pleasure? Enjoying a good life is a wonderful blessing and we should be grateful for those days when life is going well!  Ecclesiastes recommends that we enjoy the ‘fruit of our labor,’ that we savor life. However, the ultimate rewards of the faithful will only come in Heaven.  

Remember those great faith stories summed up in the 11^th chapter of Hebrews? The writer celebrates the victories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others.  In last part of that chapter the tone changes and we are reminded that not all the ‘wins’ come in this lifetime. Some, the writer says, " were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us." (Hebrews 11:38-40, NLT)

But all, those who were healed, who conquered their foes, as well those who died waiting in hope, share a common call with us: "Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.

Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! " (Hebrews 12:1-3, The Message)

As we live our faith, run this race, we can get distracted, discouraged, or disillusioned- losing sight of the finish line and dropping out. Some quit on God altogether like Paul’s friend Demas who abandoned the faith because “he loved this present world.”  Others allow themselves to be compromised by sin, deceived by the allure of rewards, tangible and present.  The only way to stay in the race is to ‘keep your eyes on Jesus.’   

The length of our life here on this earth – be it 40, 70, or 90 years – is nothing in light of Eternity.  Keep your eyes on the goal! Anticipate the rewards of Heaven which Christ Jesus promises us.

Here is the word from the Word. Do you believe it? "For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:53-54, NLT)  "So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT)

God, I want to finish the race well!  And, we will – by His grace!

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Sing The Wondrous Love Of Jesus

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus

Sing His mercy and His grace

In the mansions bright and blessed

He'll prepare for us a place

 

When we all get to heaven

What a day of rejoicing that will be

When we all see Jesus

We'll sing and shout the victory

 

While we walk the pilgrim pathway

Clouds will overspread the sky

But when trav'ling days are over

Not a shadow not a sigh

 

Let us then be true and faithful

Trusting serving ev'ry day

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay

 

Onward to the prize before us

Soon His beauty we'll behold

Soon the pearly gates will open

We shall tread the streets of gold

 

Eliza Edmunds Stites Hewitt | Emily Divine Wilson

Words: Public Domain