We humans ascribe an inordinate amount of focus and power to dates. We put off big life changes until a Monday so as to have a “fresh start”. We set goals and resolutions at the beginning of the year almost exclusively. Perhaps worst of all, when a week, month, or year is coming to a close, we tend to put it in neutral and just coast until the next big marker of time. December is a month rife with coasting. Most are so caught up in gift-giving and home decorating that little time is left for anything else.

It becomes easy to lose focus and take your eyes off the things that really matter. Unfortunately, our spiritual life and goals tend to follow the same fate. Instead of finishing well the work God gave us to do this year, there is a tendency to end with a whimper instead of a bang.
It makes me think Satan may not hate Christmas as much as I’ve always figured he did. Sure, there may be a lot more people going to church that weekend than usual, but what are the results? Holding a candle and singing spiritual songs generally does not induce a life change. It can, and it has, but most people will be the same Monday morning as they were before they darkened the doors of a church the weekend before.
What if this year were different? What if followers of Jesus together decided they were going to focus on finishing well? Most of us have been coasting far too long and we know it. It’s not too late to turn it around. No matter how much time you may have left, there is still time for finishing well. Don’t think about how much time you’ve already squandered, focus on what you can still accomplish if you begin right now. Don’t wait for Monday or the first of the year. Begin right now from wherever you are.
Finishing well is an art. It requires us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and on nothing and no one else. We need to spend quality time daily praying to our Father. Finishing well requires us to stay open to what ever work He gives us to do and to take immediate action. Developing an intimate relationship with Christ is the most important facet of finishing well; you don’t want to be strangers when you cross the finish line!
You can do this. Finishing well is within the reach of all who desire to serve Christ more than anything else. Are you a coaster or a finisher? Regardless of your answer, your actions over the final weeks of this year will tell the truth about who you are. What story do you want to tell? Do you want to put the work of God off until later or do you want to honor Him by getting after what He has given you to do? Don’t put off what God has created you to do. You know what you need to do. Don’t coast; get after it and make this a year you can say you are finishing well.