“FINISH”
ECCLESIASTES 7:8-10
Now that Christmas is behind us, the real work begins: de-decorating. To me, this is the worst part of Christmas. Have you ever tried to out your Christmas tree back in its original box? It is impossible! Here is the easiest way to store your Christmas tree. (Picture) Every year I rush to take down the lights and hate myself next year because I just wadded them up in a ball to get the job done. Perhaps since de-decorating is a chore to me, I put it off as long as I can.
More than likely, you have projects around the house which have been left unfinished; I do. When Sherry reminds me, I just say, “I’m working on it.” It has been four years, but I am working on it! I am very careful and concise when I need to get the job done.
Before starting a new year, it would be wise to close out the old year first. If you want to make 2023 better than 2022, then spend time resolving any unfinished business which may hinder your joy in the Lord. Do not carry the baggage of yesterday into your tomorrow; allow the Lord to renew your strength so you can mount up with wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint as you enter 2023. SCRIPTURE
The end of a thing is better than its beginning. I know some would like to say a proper translation is the end of a sermon is better than its beginning. While I am not sure that is sound translation, I would agree with the point. I have preached a few sermons in which I was glad to make it to the end.
The end of 2022 can be better than the beginning of 2023 if we leave the baggage behind.
SOOTHE YOUR REGRETS
Reflecting on 2022, perhaps you are mindful of opportunities you have missed, or mistakes you have made. Regrets sting. Some say, “How time flies! I wish I had this year over! I would love to fix this or that.”
Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. (10) It is not wise to wish to go back in time. Would you really like to relive the storms of 2022? Maybe you have undergone some physical storms, would you really like to hear the doctor give you the bad news again? Perhaps your struggles were spiritual. The arrows Satan has slung at your faith this year are gone! They can never be used against you again! To be sure, he will sling more, but you have outlasted these. Would you really like to go back and struggle with those temptations again?
2022 is gone and you are wiser for having lived through it. James says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2) God has used the events of 2022, even your failures, to help you grow. The end of 2022 is better than its beginning; we truly would not like to go back and live it all over again. We are freed from our past.
CALM YOUR FEARS OF THE FUTURE
Some people look at the beginning and ask, will the end really be any better? Maybe you are afraid of what the storms of 2023 will bring. “Will I be able to bear up under it?” Remember, no matter how bad the beginning is, the end is always better.
If you wake up in the morning and the sun is behind the clouds, do not assume the sun will never shine again. It is like a girl who saw an eclipse of the sun. She asked her daddy, “Why did the sun go out?” That is understandable for a child, but an adult knows the sun will shine again.
If you are in a dark period of your life, do not despair, the sun will shine again. Take this verse as a prophecy to give you hope and dispel your fears. The end will be better than the beginning. God is still in charge. He promised Israel, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God has a plan for you, even in this dark time.
Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, was falsely accused, and thrown in prison; it was his darkest moment. Yet, he could never have risen to his high position of power in Egypt had he not gone to prison. Like gold, we must be refined in the fire before we can truly shine. If you are in a dark moment and dreading the future, take heart; the end of a thing is better than its beginning.
ENCOURAGE YOUR FAITH
The spirit of our time cries out for instant satisfaction; but God says we should wait for His time. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) In our waiting, we learn to rely on God and trust Him.
If we will remain faithful to God, then the end will be better than the beginning. Jesus promised, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10) If you are struggling to hang on to your faith, take heart! The end will be better, and it is worth waiting for.
For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18) Throughout His life, Jesus was rejected, abused, and finally killed; yet now He is glorified in Heaven.
The same waits for us. Paul instructs the Romans, "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him." (Romans 6:8) Endure tough times, hang on to your faith, because we will be glorified in the end.
A lump of coal deep within the earth, through great and tremendous pressure, will change the coal into a diamond. Once it has undergone tremendous pressure, it is mined, and a jeweler begins to shape it. In order to shape it, the jeweler cuts away a great deal of the diamond. No doubt this process would be painful to the diamond, but only after the pressure and the cutting is the diamond a beautiful gem stone. If you are under pressure, or if your life is being pruned right now, be assured the end is better than the beginning. It is worth it!
WE MUST TAKE ACTION
If the end is to be better than the beginning, there must be a beginning. Perhaps you have never begun a walk with God; you cannot end what you never begin. As a Christian, maybe you have put off getting your heart right with God or need to come back to the church. You cannot end what you do not begin. As we face the beginning of a new year, why not make a new beginning in your life?
Will the end of your life be better than the beginning? If you are a sinner, it will not be. If you have not been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, you are headed for an end worse than your beginning. What will you tell the Lord when you stand before Him on judgment day? Will you tell Him you were a good person? If you do, He will open the Book of Life, see your sins recorded there, and say you were not as good as you thought. Or will you tell Him your sins are forgiven because you are covered by the blood of Jesus?
As we embark on 2023, I pray God will touch your heart and cause you to obey Him. 2022 is history, the future is a mystery; but God has given us this moment.
