Stewardship Lessons From God's Steward LeadersSample

A Steward Leader Finishes Well 

When Sundar Singh attempted to go to Tibet in 1927, he suffered from severe hemorrhage of the stomach and had to be brought back. But he had a burning desire in his heart to visit Tibet one more time even though he was strongly advised not to do so because of his ill health. 

In April 1929, at the age of 39, Sundar determined to make another attempt to reach Tibet. He left instructions about his will and bid farewell to his friends. How far he penetrated into Tibet on this last occasion in 1929, one can never say. It was his last journey to Tibet and he was never to be seen again. Anxious friends made the efforts to trace him but to no avail.

Sundar Singh’s last words penned to a New Zealand missionary was,” I am leaving today for Tibet, fully aware of the dangers and difficulties of the journey, but I must do my best to do my duty. But then I set no value on my own life as compared with the joy of finishing my course and fulfilling the commission I received from the Lord Jesus to attest to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)” 

It is important to begin the Christian life well. But it is even more important to finish it well.

The phrase “finishing well” means different things to different people. For some, finishing well means ending life with a long, cushy retirement. For others, finishing well means having lots of material stuff to enjoy. For still others, it means having a pain-free death. 

But “finishing well” in the biblical sense means following Christ to the very end of our lives, finishing his assignments for us and hearing his “well done, good and faithful servant.”

The Christian life is a marathon, not a 100-meter dash. An athlete disciplines his body and trains in order to win the race and finish well.

Similarly in order to finish well in our Christian lives, we must practice spiritual disciplines. As Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and others have enumerated, in order to finish well there must be the disciplines of abstinence such as fasting, silence, solitude, frugality, sacrifice and chastity, in addition to the disciplines of engagement such as prayer, fellowship, worship, study, service, confession and submission.

The story is told of a journalist who was in charge of the obituaries. One day when he didn’t have any deaths to record, he put a sheet of blank paper in his typewriter and wrote his own name at the top. He then found himself writing his own obituary: “I have been a good husband and a fine father. I have contributed to a number of worthy causes. I have left a reputation of absolute integrity. My friends are many.” By the time he had finished the page, he had already committed himself to the task of living up to his own obituary.

What would you write in your own obituary, if you had to write one? Are you living up to it right now? Would Jesus be able to say that you have finished well?

Quote: “Beginning well is a momentary thing; finishing well is a lifelong thing” – Ravi Zacharias

Prayer: Lord help me to finish well. Amen