It’s quickly becoming a lost art.  I’m talking about the art of finishing well.  I’ve witnessed the process more times than I care to remember.  
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They start out with a bang.  Enthusiasm is running high.  So is productivity.  The future is promising.  Then the first signs of trouble begin to appear.  The energy level drops off.  Passion goes into an alarming state of decline.  That’s about the time you notice a change in attitude and countenance.  A personal malfunction has occurred and it all comes to a grinding halt.  What began with so much promise ends poorly.  It’s like a musical composition performed beautifully only to end on a sour note.  And that’s what you will always remember; the sour note.

The failure to finish well is nothing new, even among Christians.  To the Christians in Galatia, Paul wrote, “You ran well.  Who hindered you?” (Galatians 5:7).  These first century believers were strong in their walk with the Lord…for a while.  Stunned by their sudden lapse, Paul asked, “What happened?”  Silence.

I’ve wanted to ask that question numerous times.  The problem is you rarely get a straight answer.  No one likes to admit to loss of passion, the breaking of a commitment, or the failure to see something through to the end with excellence.  It’s much easier to spin the story, play the blame game, or just walk away.  Oh well, Paul didn’t get a straight answer either.

In Ecclesiastes 9:10 Solomon set the standard for believers of all generations, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.”  Give it your very best from start to finish.  Start with excellence.  End with excellence.  Don’t finish on a sour note.  Finish strong.

But what if things get tough?  What if adversity and disappointment come along?  What if I don’t like it anymore?  Then maintain Christian integrity as Joseph did in Egypt and finish well.  Those who do so always rise to the top.  “Do you see a man who excels in his work?  He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.” (Proverbs 22:29).

Whether its the class you are enrolled in, the job you are employed at, the ministry you are serving in, the project you are involved with, or some other area of commitment, follow the example of Jesus Christ who endured the cross and ended with a shout of victory.  Finish well!

Pastor Todd Weston

When Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, sat down to write his epistle, he thought his subject was going to be the great theme of salvation.  The Holy Spirit redirected him to encourage the church at large to earnestly contend for the faith in the face of apostasy.

Apostasy is the abandoning or renouncing of the faith.  Apparently, there were apostate teachers in the first century who were urging believers to commit the sin of apostasy.  To help the saints identify these dangerous people, Jude reached back to the Old Testament and chose three notorious characters who were undoubtedly familiar to his readers.

Here is what Jude wrote, “Woe to them!  For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (Jude 11).

Cain appeared to be a religious man in that he worshipped by offering sacrifices to God, but it was a religion on his own terms. Ignoring God’s stated ways, Cain did want he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted.  In truth, Cain was a worldly man in disguise which he eventually proved by his actions.  Watch out for spiritual leaders who say one thing but do another.  To follow them is to go in the way of Cain.

It’s no secret that Balaam had a genuine gift from God.  The man was a prophet.  The problem is that his gifts were for hire to the highest bidder.  The Bible says we cannot serve God and money.  Balaam chose money.  The biblical model is for ministry to be financed through the giving of God’s people.  Watch out for those who seek to manipulate that principle for personal gain.  Remember that anointing does not necessarily mean approval.  To follow such a leader is to run greedily in the error of Balaam. 

Korah was a Levite who allowed a root of bitterness to spring up in his heart.  He was in full-time ministry, and yet he coveted the ministry that belonged to another.  Korah began a whispering campaign of false accusations against Moses and Aaron, God’s delegated leaders, which eventually drew in 250 levitical priests.  They were all judged on the spot in the most terrifying way.  To follow leaders who seek authority but refuse to submit to it is to perish in the rebellion of Korah.     

Three Old Testament rebels.  At first glance, you would say they all had the form of godliness.  Cain worshipping.  Balaam prophesying.  Korah serving.  But in all three cases the heart was terribly wrong.  

Make sure you know who you are following.  Rather than being led in the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, or the rebellion of Korah, make sure you are following leaders who can say with Paul, “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Pastor Todd Weston

I have a friend who for the last few years has faithfully sent out a word for the day.  These words sent out to a mailing list numbering in the hundreds were not chosen at random, but were carefully and prayerfully selected.  He has now scaled back to a word for the week.  Eventually, he might go to a word for the month.

I am not that ambitious.  I have a word for the year.  It’s the word RENEW.  

The theme of renewal is found throughout the Bible.  We serve a God who specializes in renewal.  The same God who told Old Testament Israel, “Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19), promised the New Testament Church, “I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). 

The prayer of David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10), was answered by Isaiah, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:31).

2 Corinthians 5:17 declares that in Christ we are new creations.  A chapter earlier, Paul tells us that as new creations we can also experience daily renewal, “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).  Constant renewal is the name of the game.

As we stand at the beginning of a New Year, I think it would be wise to consider if there are any areas in our lives that are in need of renewal.  You know, disciplines that aren’t functioning properly or at all.  Sectors of life that are barely getting by.  Zones where we are losing ground.

Maybe you are in need of spiritual renewal.  Things have been allowed to drift far too long and you know it’s time to get that realm back in shape.  Maybe it’s your health.  Do not yield to the prospects of deteriorating health.  This is the year to make positive changes in lifestyle and attitude.  It’s the year to stand on the promises of God for divine healing!

Maybe your marriage needs a shot in the arm.  Don’t just sit there bemoaning the fact the spark is gone.  Do something about it and experience renewal.  Maybe you are in need of mental and intellectual renewal.  It’s a tragic day when a person decides they’ve learned all they need to learn.  Never stop growing.  Never stop learning.  Turn off the television and pick up a good book.  Enroll in a class.  Don’t just sit there and let your mind go to seed.  Experience renewal.

I hope you are catching the spirit of this!  Pick up a new hobby.  Set some new goals.  Form some new friendships.  Travel to new places.  Reject rigor mortis of the soul that comes from thinking you’ve learned it all and done it all.  Determine to live while you live.  While no one gets out of this world alive, you can go out fighting strong because of ongoing renewal.

While I am not prepared to give you a word for the day, week, or month, I am ready to offer a word for the year.  I encourage you to embrace it because its a Bible word.  It’s a God word.  Embrace and experience renewal in the coming year.  And may God’s promise to make all things new become a reality in your life.

Pastor Todd Weston

Mephibosheth!  No, the word isn’t Swahili for gesundheit.  It was a man’s name.  Can you imagine the abuse he must have received as a kid?  I mean, a name like that is enough to give you a complex.  He was probably ten before he could pronounce his own name, and well into his teens before he could spell it!

The unusual name was the least of Mephibosheth’s problems.  His bigger problem was that he was permanently disabled in a childhood accident and was something of an outcast.  

Life started out so well for Mephibosheth and yet turned out so wrong.  He was only five years old when news arrived that his grandfather, King Saul, and father, Jonathan, were killed in battle.  In a panic, the nurse picked up Mephibosheth thinking she would carry him to safety.  In her haste she dropped the young child, crippling him for life. 

With the downfall of the royal family, Mephibosheth was forced to live in exile in a place called Lo Debar.  Located east of the Jordan River, the name Lo Debar means no pasture, no word, no communication.  It’s been said that Lo Debar was a forgotten place full of forgotten people.  If the town lived up to its name, Mephibosheth must have had a miserable and meager existence.  

But everything changed when King David entered Mephibosheth’s life (2 Samuel 9).  Hearing about his plight, David brought the exiled prince back to Jerusalem.  He gave him a permanent place at the king’s table and restored the privileges that had been lost.  David did this not because of anything Mephibosheth had done, but for Jonathan’s sake (v7).  This refers to a covenant established between Jonathan and David.

This allegory of grace is an Old Testament picture of what God has done for us.  Like Mephibosheth, we were crippled by a fall.  Hosea 14:1 states the truth, “You have stumbled because of your iniquity.”  Sin brought down the entire human race.  As a result, we were forced to live in exile from the King.  What a miserable existence that was.

But God remembered the covenant of grace established by Jesus’ death on the cross.  He rescued us from our personal Lo Debar and brought us back into the presence of the King.  Just as Mephibosheth became the object of David’s grace because of his relationship to Jonathan, we are the recipients of God’s grace because of our relationship with Jesus.  By God’s grace we are restored and live not just as servants of the King, but as sons and daughters (v11).

One of these days we are going to meet Mephibosheth in Heaven.  If you are wondering how you will recognize him just look for the guy softly singing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!”

Pastor Todd Weston