My "Finish Well" List

July 16, 2008

Thank you so much for all that prayed for Steven and Christy’s wedding. For those that were able to make the trip, we are humbled. For those that could not, we completely understand and just want you to know that your prayers meant so much to us. It was a beautiful wedding; they did a great job planning it. Christ was honored from start to finish. We are most thankful for our new daughter in law and gladly welcome her into our family.

In my last blog, I talked about finishing well. I shared the story that Pastor John Bisagno has told of the men he started out in seminary with compared to how few were in the ministry when he retired as a pastor. Many, too many, seem not to finish well. For sure, we know that we can not do this apart from the grace of God. But, I do think that there are some principles that should be working in our lives to put us in a position to finish well. I think of the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards. Written when he was only 19 years old, these resolutions show a depth of thinking way beyond his youth. At my age, I feel I lack the maturity he had as a 19 year old. I certainly know I do not have the intellectual capabilities and the spiritual depth he had. Yet, I do have a desire to finish well.

Here are some things that are important to me in this desire.
-I want to be consistent in my devotional time.
-I want to be honest in confessing all sin and keeping short accounts with God.
-I want to be devoted to my wife and live above reproach.
-I want to never do anything that would disappoint my family.
-I want to trust God for meeting my needs and avoid a fretful disposition.
-I want to be disciplined.
- I want to be a faithful pastor.
-I want to cling to Scripture and clearly and lovingly proclaim God’s Word.

I am sure that there is more that I should have on this list but these are some that I want to tenaciously and consistently stick to.

Pastor Chuck