Finishing WellSample

Advance Unmoved  

While we’ve been ridding ourselves of the 1970’s cruise ship vibe around here, I’ve been feeding my large family in our laundry room. My friend, Janet, stopped by with some muffins, familiar with being displaced while taking care of a family.

Janet related her own remodeling tale while my kids savored her baked gifts. When it came time to tear out the sheetrock, a serious problem emerged. Termites. Termites everywhere. Even though she and her spouse had purchased a termite prevention service, the surface was all that was treated. The real damage was hidden and extensive. It began at the base of the structure eventually damaging the core of the house. Everything structural had to go. It was a costly and time-consuming endeavor they never anticipated because the problem rested unseen in the foundation. 

The same devastation can occur in our spiritual lives. Most teenagers who grow up attending church regularly are leaving the church after high school never to return. A primary factor is that Christianity is not their faith. It’s the faith of their parents, their friends, or a respected leader. At their foundational core, their faith is as weak as my friend’s termite-infested home. They may have had a good beginning, but if it’s not firmly established, such faith becomes susceptible to outside influences. 

It’s not only teenagers at risk, otherwise, Paul wouldn’t address the issue. He reminds the Colossian church of who they once were: “enemies” in their “minds” and “alienated from God.” Jesus changed all of that making them blameless and free. They had a good beginning. But, this freedom is contingent upon being firmly rooted in their faith as they go forward. 

A strong finish is necessary. From Paul’s perspective, the person who aims to finish well possesses a faith that is firm enough they can go forward in life, unmoved. 

That kind of immovableness looks like believing God for your life when nothing circumstantially is working out in your favor. When nothing goes as planned, yet your reliance in His faithfulness to you remains. If a pandemic develops or the next hurricane of life strikes, you don’t land in a depressed stupor under the uncertainty, but remain hope-filled, knowing God is faithful. 

What is the state of your spiritual foundation? 

May God make you immovable in your faith to trust Him for what you cannot see.