Finish Strong

Hey there, and welcome to today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional. Katara Patton wrote today's reading, and she titled it Finish Strong. As I enter the final few minutes of my 40-minute workout, I can almost guarantee that my instructor will yell out, Finish Strong! Every personal trainer or group fitness leader I've known uses the phrase a few minutes before cool down.

They know that the end of the workout is just as important as showing up for it, and they know that the human body has a tendency to want to slow down or slack off when it's been in motion for a while. The same is true in our journey with Jesus. Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus that he needed to finish strong as he headed to Jerusalem, where he was certain to face more persecution as an apostle of Christ.

Paul, however, was undeterred. He had a mission, and that was to finish the journey he'd begun and to do what God called him to do. He had one job, to tell the good news of God's grace, and he wanted to finish strong. Even if hardship awaited him, he continued to run toward his finish line, focused and determined to remain steadfast in his journey. Whether we're exercising our physical muscles or working out our God-given abilities through actions, words, and deeds, we, too, can be encouraged by the reminder to finish strong. Don't become weary.

Don't give up. God will provide what you need to finish strong. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Acts 20, verses 17-24. From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them, You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me. My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. Let's pray. Lord, life can be so difficult. Financial, health, and relational burdens can weigh us down to the point that we feel like we can't go on. When our hearts and minds are weighed down, please remind us that we're not alone. Give us the strength and endurance to finish strong so that you get the glory for our life and journey. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Toni Collier and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.