God's Not Finished

In 2nd Timothy 4, Paul writes to his friend, Timothy about the importance of finishing strong:
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing.

I hope that when the days ordained for me by the Lord have concluded that I can say as I look back that I have fought the good fight, that I have finished strong.   So many in the Christian life begin well, but because of sin, distraction, preoccupation with past failures, lack of motivation, or other factors, we give up and don't finish well.   We can be encouraged that as we stay true to Christ, that He will lead us and empower us to live a complete, productive life for Him.

We're exploring the concept of finishing strong, realizing that when God takes us out of this world, that marks the moment when He is finished using us.  Here's what Philippians 3 says:
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I like stories of people that attempt something that is not normally thought of for people in their age group.  One of the headlines over the past couple of days involves a 55-year-old woman who has decided to try out for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders - she wanted to when she was 22, but she was a single mom at the time and the opportunity just wasn't there for her.   Now, this particular activity may not be something you and I aspire to, or want to participate in, but it does cause us to think how God desires to produce fruit in our lives, and He's not finished until He says so.   Think about Mike Flynt, who wrote the book, The Senior - at the age of 59, he decided to try out for a slot on the football team at his old college.  He had been kicked off the team prior to his senior year, and he wanted a shot a redemption.    Mike, who is believer in Jesus Christ, says, "With every opportunity I now have, I stress to people that it's never too late to tackle your dreams".

You may have been off the field, maybe thinking that God can't use you, or maybe having strayed away fro the Lord.   And, there are those past sins and failures that can hold us captive and keep us from trying any more.   Remember, He's not finished with you until the day He calls you home, and He gives you his Holy Spirit to enable you to live a fruitful life for Him.