day 1104: Finishing

"I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave me to do."

I have found in work that the two times that take the most time and that we spend an inordinate amount of time on, is trying to get things started and trying to get things finished. Both are so important and both have huge amounts of friction points that want to keep starting and finishing from happening.  I admire starters.  These are people who take initiative and are not fearful of their ideas and efforts being ridiculed.  But, I admire finishers even more. Maybe it is the distance runner in me but really everyone can get to the starting line with the least amount of commitment and effort. But, to get through the starting line and to the finish, well, that is a different story all together. How many ideas have we seen get started and never finished?  More than any of us would want to count or admit. I learned early in my naive and over-zealous days that an idea that is started and never finished was probably better left not ever started. Think about and decide what we are going to finish, before we ever start, and we will all be better business people and serve our companies well.

Jesus said to God His Father that the glory He brought to God was through the completion of the work He was assigned to do.  Jesus shows us the power of finishing.  In his last words on the cross, he declared the finish line.  From His sacrifice for each of us, how can we not finish what is given to us and finish well?  God wants us to bring Him glory with what we have been given.  He expects completion. He expects for us to be there at the finish line.  When we think we can't make it, rest in His assurance that the finish matters and that He wants to take us there. In the middle of this Easter week, let's remember and consider that God finished well for us so that we could start a new life with Him.

Reference: John 17:4 (New Living Translation)

day 865: It Is Finished

"When Jesus had tasted it, he said, 'It is finished! Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

This past week I met with a young entrepreneur who was just about to give up and call it quits on his startup company. He comes to me to ask for advice on occasion and I was glad to be there for him at this moment when it seemed he really needed me. Lots of things have been going well for his business, but he was beating himself up pretty badly as his own self expectations are very high. You can't help but like this in an entrepreneur but it's not always fair for the pressure to be that high. After an hour of talking it out and having someone (me) help him zoom out and see how much has been accomplished in such a short time, with so little I might add, he was ready to go back to work and charge the hill again. It's not always smart to keep going when you know that you aren't going to succeed, but we shouldn't give up before we have given it our all. I had to remind this entrepreneur that quitting is a permanent decision to a temporary situation. We should all in our businesses know the difference between the right time and the wrong time to throw in the towel. It's not always easy to see so we might need the help of others, but we should have as clear of a picture as we can on when and where that decision should be made.

As believers we never have to make the decision on when to say that we are finished, because Christ did that for us. Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and as we thanked Him for the sacrifice He made for each of personally, we can see that it is only He that earned the right to say, "It is finished." We should never find ourselves giving up, quitting, or slacking off from the work that God has given us. How could we ever when we know what He went through to allow us to be able to lead the lives we can to bring glory to Him? If you are finding ourselves on the verge of quitting anything that is in front of you that you know you should be continuing and furthering, then I encourage to restore the Easter story into your heart to be reminded that we, and what God wants to do with us, is never finished.

Reference: John 19:29 (New Living Testament)

day 90: Rescue Plans, part 2 - Finish The Job!

The story in Zechariah of how God fixed dire economic issues with His version of a rescue plan and stimulus package, is a great story. God tells the people to go to work to rebuild the Temple and that He will take care of all the rest. I love the way that God gives us tasks and that when we put our hands to work that He gives us ways to work through and find resolution to small and big issues. In this instance it was a very big issue as there were no jobs or wages for people or animals. Within the story there is a lesson that God also reveals. In verse 9 of Chapter 8 it reads: "This is what the Lord Almighty says; take heart and finish the task!" Throughout the Bible we are told to be good finishers and to be a completer in what we do. But in this instance God directly places direction over the work of hands, minds and limbs. We are to finish the work we start and we are to do so with full vigor and energy; we are to "take heart". Being a strong finisher and not stopping, not giving up until we have completed is a trait that we see throughout the role models and examples for our lives. The greatest example is that of our Lord whose journey through His human life was not complete until He said, "It is finished". We are called upon each and every day in our lives and work to complete and finish something. We make those choices daily and set examples for others who are watching. Think long and hard today about those tasks that are before you and ask yourself, "are you taking heart to finish the tasks that you have"? God provided an outpouring and blessing for the Israelites as they got back to work to rebuild the temple. He will do the same for us if we finish well the work he has given us each to do.

Reference: Zechariah 8:9-13 (New Living Testament)