Persistence Pays: Learning to Finish What You Start
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
-Matthew 28:19-20
Even as a high-achiever some projects, tasks, or activities leave me feeling stumped, inadequate, and ill-equipped. Many times over the course of my career, I've felt like God is asking me to do something that is too big, too daunting and I find myself wondering if I'm the right person for the job.
Have you ever had a moment like this? Where God asked you to do something uncomfortable or hard and you felt like maybe He chose the wrong person?
I call these “Moses moments.”
Moses was 80 years old when God called him to deliver an entire people group out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 7:7; Acts 7:22-30). An entire people group! On top of that, he was slow of speech (Exodus 4:10) and was wanted in Egypt for murder (Exodus 2:11-12). Who was he to save the Lord’s people and lead them to the promised land? The task was far too great for anyone, let alone an older man with a speech impediment and a colored past. I can only imagine how Moses must have felt at that moment. Then God said five little words: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12).
Is God asking you to do something that feels impossible?
If so, take courage! God chooses to use us - imperfect, broken, and sinful people - to carry out His Kingdom tasks. He invites us to play a role in His story, for His glory. And when the doubt and fear flood in, God says the same thing to us as He did to Moses over 3,000 years ago, “I am with you” (Matt 28:20).
So when you feel inadequate to carry out God’s will, remember that it is God who called you and God who will empower you. Knowing God is with you is the first step to finishing anything you start and the other steps require you to develop new habits that will enhance your ability to get results fast with plenty of energy to spare.
Healthy Habits to Finish What You Start:
Work Wholeheartedly for God - “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23)
Be Consistent - “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Celebrate Milestones - “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
Be Appreciative - “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)
Start with the End in Mind - “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
Don’t Go it Alone - “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Decide To Finish - “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Make Adjustments - “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)
