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“Pray that I finish well.” This was a request that was shared with me several years ago by a man who had been in ministry most of his adult life. He was a few decades older than me at the time and was beginning to transition into a different phase of ministry. While retirement was on the horizon for him, he was not planning to quit serving the Lord. This man was a godly man who loved the Lord and the desire of his heart was to be found faithful in the final years of his life. His request shook me somewhat, as I had never really considered the temptation to fall away in the later years of life. However, I have lived long enough now to have seen so many make a shipwreck of their faith and inflict damage to the cause of Christ as they become older.
In the Old Testament, we find the example of Solomon. As a young man he prayed to God for wisdom and became renown throughout the world for this wisdom. Solomon built and dedicated the great temple and it seemed his life was on track for faithful service to the Lord. However, Solomon took his eyes off Christ and centered them on pleasing himself and his many wives. When we come to Solomon’s later years, we find him involved in the child sacrifice which was associated with the pagan worship of Molech.
Several years ago, a book was published for pastors on staying faithful in ministry. Sadly, if you look at the five endorsements on the back cover of the book, you will find that except for one all the men who recommended the book are no longer in ministry. Some have been removed for moral failure, and others have completely apostatized and walked away from the faith.
But this does not have to be the story for everyone. The temptation to walk away or become unfaithful is real, but Scripture encourages us to continue. In writing 2 Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we must be vigilant as soldiers and continue the fight to remain faithful. Paul also lets us know that as he is approaching the end, he has stayed faithful to the Lord. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8, ESV). Paul suffered for the cause of Christ in ways most of us never will. He was shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, maligned, and impoverished all for the sake of Christ. Yet, his goal and desire were to see his Savior. He was able to look beyond the suffering to Jesus.
May all of us finish this life as Paul did, faithful to the end.
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