As we start a new semester of small groups, it’s easy to get excited. I’ve always loved the start of something new. When I was younger, I started clubs in the neighborhood. I would make up folders for everyone in the club, filled with lined notebook paper so they could take notes at our meetings. I assigned everyone a role, with me always being the president.
I would make up a clubhouse somewhere, and we would start off with a bang. Once there was the Good Deed Club and once there was the Flower Club.
What I don’t remember is those clubs lasting more than a week. Now that was partly because I was soon on to the next project. But it was mostly, I’m sure, because my friends and little sister got tired of me always being the boss. I had lots to learn about leadership, but back then, I was happy to start something new and be in charge.
I have great intentions, but follow through has been a weak point of mine. Jesus, on the other hand, modeled finishing well. The passage in John chapter 4 tells about Jesus speaking with the woman at the well. After Jesus’ time in the village, the disciples rejoined Him and urged Him to eat. Jesus replied by telling them He had food they didn’t know about. He added that it was do the will of God and to finish His work.
We know from reading the gospels that Jesus finished God’s work in spite of hardship, persecution, physical torture and an agonizing death. We have eternal life because Jesus finished well. We have the opportunity to finish well when God calls us to obey. Here’s an example of finishing well.
Let’s say you get a call from a friend whose beloved husband has just passed away. Here are three ways you can respond to this tragedy in your friend’s life.
The first is good. You can send her a card, letting her know you are praying for her. You can attend the funeral.
The second is better. You can do the above, but you also offer to watch your friend’s children, and you organize a week’s worth of meals.
The third exemplifies finishing well. You can do all of the above, but you also offer to help your friend when she has to sort through her husband’s clothes and belongings. You go with her to the mortuary or to meet with the pastor to plan his funeral. In a few months when everyone else has moved on with their lives, you remember your hurting friend and you connect with her throughout the coming years.
It’s hard to finish well. Life goes on. Other demands arise on your time. You get bored with your current responsibilities. Things get tough.
Yet God calls us to finish well, and Jesus modeled it. Sometimes finishing well means getting your hands dirty in life. Sometimes it means walking through someone else’s valley of the shadow of death. But finishing well always means pleasing the Lord with your commitment and obedience. At the start of this new small group semester, may we all “finish well” in our commitments and in our relationships with others.
In Christ’s love,
Glynnis
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” John 4:34
