The sobering statistic states that approximately 1,500 pastors leave the ministry every month. Simply tragic.
As I've been praying toward the "last corner" of this season of our one-year internships at GenerationNOW, I'm so grateful for my team's commitment to finish strong. With the pressures and temptations and wounds and spiritual warfare that constantly lurk around every corner, finishing well has become a steady minority. But by God's grace - by staying connected to the Vine - it is possible (John 15:5-7). These six interns behind me are a living testimony of that. And like Paul, that's something worth celebrating:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).The present and the future are deeply intertwined. How we exit a season is how we enter the next. That's simply the law of God's farm: We will reap in the next season that which we sow in the present one. By God's grace and the power of the Spirit in us, finishing well is possible. And it can and ought to be the norm. As we rely on Jesus, He will enable us to cross through the tape and finish the race strong. Our job? To keep our eyes on Him and keep running.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:24).That's my prayer for my own life. For the sake of Jesus, for my wife, my kids, and my church - my greatest desire and goal of achievement is to FINISH WELL in this life.
How about you?
Are you on course to finish well?
It's a question that we must answer daily.
