(51) “FINISH WELL”
“…. I consider my life worth nothing to me; MY ONLY AIM IS TO FINISH THE RACE and COMPLETE THE TASK the Lord Jesus has given me.” Acts 20:24
Unlike leaders today where it is reported that only one in three finish well, the Apostle Paul was prepared to complete the task the Lord had given him even though “the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardship are facing me.” Retirement never was an option for him. And neither it should be for us.
So why should we finish well?
1. LIFE IS A GIFT – I am entrusted. All of my life is a gift from God. He created me and He gives me life and breath and all things. Acts 17:24-25 Every morning I wake up I am thankful for the gift of a new day.
2. LIFE IS PURPOSEFUL – I am a steward. I am not just created by God, but He created and shaped me for a purpose. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10
3. LIFE IS AN INVESTMENT – I will be rewarded. “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
I have a friend who said, “The older I get the more I find myself crying out to God, ‘Let me finish well.’ “
May this be your desire as well.
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(52) “IT IS NOT HOW LONG YOU HAVE LIVED, BUT HOW WELL YOU HAVE LIVED”
I keep the following note written by Mark Twain in my diary. “Twenty years from now I will be more disappointed by the things I didn’t do than by the things I did do. So sail away from the safe harbor and catch the trade winds in my sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Forty two years ago I resigned from my job in the business world to travel interstate with my wife of 9 months to take up a calling to pastor in a church. The last thing I did before vacating my work office was to read a note left by a fellow employee that said, “I wish you all the best in your chosen vocation, Rod. I think you are a very brave man.”
I have kept the note and added the following words, “The bravest person in the world is the person who misses the will of God. The wisest person in the world is the person who is in the centre of God’s will.”
We cannot defer life and there is never a perfect time to sail away from the safe harbor. And we will never know how long we will have to live out the high calling of God. Both Jesus and John the Baptist had no more than 3 years, but Caleb was just as vigorous to go out to battle at the age of 85 as he was when he was 40.
History recalls from the records of their lives, “It is not how long you have lived, but how well you have lived.”
How will history recall your life?
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(53) “DEVELOP YOUR STRENGTHS AND RECRUIT TO YOUR WEAKNESSES”
One of the best decisions I made in my childhood was to convince my mother to cancel my piano lessons. She was a great pianist, but I wasn’t made of the same stuff. However, with the passing of time I became reasonably proficient in sports; any sport that involved a ball, rather than track and field sports. As long as I focused on my areas of strength, I could advance to a very competitive level.
By the time I took up my calling to be a pastor, I realised that I wasn’t endowed with multiple spiritual gifts, but what I did have I should do my best to develop to my highest potential. By developing my spiritual gifts of leadership and teaching over a period of time I could develop from a 6 to an 8 whereas if I was to spend my time developing the areas in which I wasn’t gifted, I might have grown from a 4 to a 6. Consequently, it made sense to me to develop and largely work within my areas of giftedness and recruit to my leadership team those who were gifted in my areas of weakness. So an important part of my job description involved helping people discover their spiritual gifts and placing them in an area of the life of the church where they could make their greatest impact.
Surely this is one of the most important discoveries a church can make if it is going to live out its God given calling in the world in which it has been placed. Consequently, there should be no unemployment in the church because “All of you together are Christ’s body and each of you is part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
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(54) “KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING”
The danger of drift has to be one of the most important issues that a leader must guard against. It doesn’t take any energy to drift; it takes much effort to stay focused on our ultimate purpose. Robert Coleman in his classic book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, describes well the way Jesus kept the main thing the main thing.
“Jesus’ life was ordered by His objectives. Everything He did and said was part of the whole pattern. It had significance because it contributed to the ultimate purpose of His life in redeeming the world for God. This was the motivating vision concerning His behaviour. His steps were ordered by it. Mark it well. Not for one moment did Jesus lose sight of His goal.” Consequently, we need to remember that:
*it is not what we do that is important, it is what we do with what we do.
*programs are to be our servants and not our masters.
*effectiveness is not to be judged by the numbers that are involved, but by the fruit that is being produced.
*we are remaining focused and not drifting.
So how are you going? When did you last check that you were keeping the main thing the main thing?
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(55) “P Y B F F”
January is traditionally a month in Australian churches when most activities go into shut down except for Sunday services which usually are conducted with a bare minimum of resources. It was assumed that everyone (including God) went on holidays in January or weren’t available for a variety of reasons. Consequently, numbers and offerings would drop dramatically and valuable momentum was lost.
One January I was prompted by the Lord to reverse the trend and put my best foot forward. I prepared a key series of messages, our children’s workers prepared an exciting children’s program instead of shutting down, the worship team was at its inspiring best, powerful testimonies were shared and our after-service morning tea budget was increased. The results were amazing.
* our attendances increased by 60% over normal January numbers.
* offerings stayed at a high level.
* a high number of visitors attended and many continued coming.
* momentum was sustained.
* God didn’t go on holidays and neither did many of our people. I found out that many just stayed home in January because they assumed that the church was in recess. They now take holidays all year round. I was living with a false assumption based on the past.
* I learnt a great lesson at the time P Y B F F I J – Put Your Best Foot Forward In January.
Other lessons I learnt included :
* Beware of unchallenged assumptions.
* Beware of holding onto long held traditions.
* Find out where the Father is at work and join Him.
* Lead with a spirit of adventure and vision.
So, in what way might the Father be impressing on you to P Y B F F where you are?
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(56) “YOU DON’T GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION”
I was challenged by the fact that guests in churches often decide whether or not they will return even before the service starts. I assume that this way of thinking is not just limited to people attending church services. I discovered that there is truth to the saying that first impressions are lasting impressions.
And so it is true in all of life that we don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. I have come to the conclusion that this fact alone should radically change the way we live our lives. Consequently, I list the following steps that I have been taking so that I might lift the lid on my life and be a first impression person.
* Make it a 24/7 lifestyle wherever you go.
* It is all about adding value to others rather than drawing attention to yourself.
* Ask relevant questions and listen to the responses.
* Look for ways to affirm and appreciate people.
* Be sensitive to people’s body language and needs for personal space.
* Do unto others as they would want done to them, not what you would want done to you.
* Smile! It is one of your greatest assets.
* Remember people’s names.
* Follow up with an appropriate note.
* Pray for the ability to be a first impression person.
* Pray for opportunities as you move around the world in which you live each day.
* If necessary, find a mentor who can help you be a first impression person.
We only get a few seconds to make a first-time impression, so it is important to be alert and seize the moments as they arise. Remember, you aren’t guaranteed a second chance.
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(57) “I DON’T HAVE TO, I GET TO”
In many ways it is our attitudes that determine our lives, not our activities. And one of the most important attitudes I have observed in great people is that they are “get to” people. Let me explain.
After 22 years, Dr Robertson McQuilkin resigned from his valued position as President of a Bible College in America to care for his wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He said, “The decision to care for Muriel was made 42 years ago when I promised to care for her in sickness and in health. Duty can be grim and stoic. But I love Muriel. I don’t have to care for her, I GET TO care for her.”
There is a vast difference between GET TO people and HAVE TO people, even though the circumstances of their lives can be very similar.
HAVE TO PEOPLE GET TO PEOPLE
* See life as an obligation * see life as a privilege
* ask, “What’s in it for me?” * ask, “How can I add value to others?”
* are grateful when they receive a gift * are fulfilled when they give a gift
* see difficult times as an imposition * see difficult times as an opportunity to grow and learn
* are never satisfied * are content with what they have
* complain when they miss out * always count their blessings
* are a burden to be with * are a delight to be with
* are motivated by law * are motivated by love
Are you a HAVE TO person or a GET TO person?
Usually, the answer is not dependent on your circumstances. Rather it is determined by your attitudes and choices. Perhaps Jesus was thinking about this very issue when He said, “The greatest among you will be your servant” and I am sure He would want to add, “And you don’t HAVE TO be a servant, you GET TO be a servant.”
What a high calling are our lives when we see them through GET TO eyes.
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(58) “IT ALL RISES AND FALLS ON LEADERSHIP…….SELECTION”
One of the most underrated activities in the life of an organisation is the selection of leaders which involves developing a leadership emergence strategy. Especially this is true if you believe that an organisation will not rise above the level of its leaders.
Consequently, I was recently impressed by the leadership selection strategy king David adopted on one occasion.
(1 Chronicles 11) He had set his sights on conquering the heavily fortified city of Jerusalem and making it the capitol of his kingdom. However, this was no easy task.
David made this challenge to his troops, “Whoever is first to attack the city will become the commander of my armies.” This meant that the first person to successfully advance uphill against well-armed soldiers on thick walls would pass David’s leadership selection test. He was looking for a leader who would possess the qualities of bravery and boldness in the real world of battle. He had a “tested and approved to be entrusted” strategy. David’s young nephew, Joab, was the first to break into the city and so became David’s leading general for years to come.
So if leadership emergence is vitally important,
* you need a well-planned leadership emergence strategy in your organisation.
* you need to know the qualities a leader will be required to possess to be successful in your organisation.
* you don’t just select leaders on the basis of seniority, education, resumes and other human criteria.
Remember, it all rises and falls on leadership……..selection.
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(59) “A FUNERAL IS MORE HELPFUL THAN A PARTY”
“Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies – so the living should take this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2
When conducting a funeral, I mention that one of the purposes of a funeral is to gain fresh perspective for living. In that regard, King Solomon was right when he said that it is “better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.”
It is important at funerals to give people opportunity:
* to understand that life on this earth is not all there is.
* to realise that they are not ready to live until they are ready to die.
* to remember that life on this earth is fragile, uncertain and not to be presumed upon.
* to realise that life is a gift from God and that they are to be good stewards of that gift. What they do with the gift will reflect on what they think of the giver.
* to realise that one day they will give an account for what they did with that gift.
King Solomon wasn’t a killjoy; he didn’t say we are not to go to parties. But he did say that people are to get perspective for living that can only be found in the deeper things in life.
To miss it, we do so at our own peril.
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(60) “BE A FIRST CLASS VERSION OF YOU”
One of the great encouragements of my life has been to see people find inspiration in discovering their God created identity and then to live their lives conforming to the purposes for which God shaped them. Sadly, I find it discouraging to see people trying to live their lives in conformity to the expectations the world in which they live places on them regarding a certain image and values.
The truth of the matter is that “we (each) are God’s (unique) masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10. In fact, so unique are we that God created in each of us an unrepeatable heartbeat and fingerprint.
Recently, my daughter Kathryn was in deep discussion with a colleague who was struggling with her identity. Kathryn finally responded to her deep struggle by saying, “You need to be a first-class version of you and not a second-class version of someone else. You need to be a round peg in a round hole.”
So liberating were Kathryn’s words to her that her colleague wrote back to her, “Thank you for telling me that. What an inspiring quote and so on the mark for where I am right now. That was exactly just what I needed.”
You are a special and unrepeatable creation of God. Make sure you become a first-class version of you.
I give you permission.
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