Finishing well is the right way for a Christian to close the final chapter of life’s book. It testifies to the reality of his faith. It leaves for those who remain a legacy of inspiring memories.

People are deeply impressed when they see a godly believer finish life with calmness, dignity, and grace.

I remember well years ago how many of us were touched by a dear brother in the Lord who had only a couple of months to live. He was courageous and unafraid to face death. Oftentimes, he and I would say to each other while visiting sick brethren: "If the Lord were to call us home, we are ready to go." And a year or so later, he was diagnosed to have pancreatic cancer. He accepted it graciously and entrusted himself to the Lord. He went for his surgery. He underwent chemotherapy. Though he did not say much especially in his last days, I know that he was looking forward to be with Jesus. He finished life well.

This concern about finishing well, however, is not limited to the elderly. It is a passion of the wise long before they say their goodbyes. No clearminded person wants to leave this world on a bad note. No one wants to be remembered as a fool who gambled away his life with no thought for the future.

We must realize that finishing well can only be guaranteed by the choices of today. If we make the wrong choice, then we must pay for it in the years to come. Furthermore, we do not know when our last day on earth will be. Therefore, we need to live every day as if it were our last - because it could be.

Finishing well, therefore, is relevant to young and old. The end of life may come unexpectedly. From childhood onward, we who believe in Christ have a deep-seated desire to be remembered as good Christians. And the only way to make sure we will be remembered that way is to live well right now.

Many believers who finished well lived well from the beginning of their Christian experience. They maintained a good marriage, took parenthood seriously, served the Lord faithfully, and kept growing spiritually. Whether they died early or late in life, they finished well.

Paul was a good example. His life was a real inspiration to many Christians down through the ages. He lived well and he finished well. In his final letter to Timothy, he testified that he had fought a good fight of faith; he had run and finished the race; and he had faithfully kept the Christian Faith. And he was confident that he would receive his reward which is a crown of righteousness at that day of reckoning (2 Timothy 4:7, 8). Paul also exhorted others to follow his footsteps. He reminded the Thessalonian Christians how he had conducted himself among them (Thessalonians 1:5) and he urged the Corinthian Christians to follow him just as he had followed Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1).

It would be great if every Christian lived this way, but that’s not the way it is. Some fall into gross immorality along the way. Some go through a nasty divorce. Some fight a battle with alcoholism. Others fight a battle with homosexual desires and don’t always win. Still others fight hard to keep the Christian Faith. As the words of the song "Dare to be a Daniel" say, "Many mighty men are lost, Daring not to stand."

What about such fallen people? Must they conclude that they have blown it? That nothing can erase past failures? That they cannot finish well? Not at all! Both the Bible and experience show us that people can finish well even after dismal failure.

1. Think of Manasseh (2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33). Succeeding his father Hezekiah as king of Judah, he was involved in witchcraft, he murdered the people he didn’t like, and he sacrificed children to the idol Molech. But toward the end of his 55-year reign he repented. He did what he could to undo the harm he had done and died at peace with God. He finished well!

2. Think of King David (2 Samuel 11; Psalm 32:1-5; 51). He committed the sin of adultery and murder and yet he was called a man after God’s own heart because he acknowledged, confessed and repented of his sins (Acts 13:22).

3. Think of John Mark (Acts 13:5, 13; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11). He joined Paul in his first missionary journey and later left the team. No reason was given. But when Paul embarked in his second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark along. But Paul disagreed. They had a sharp argument and as a result, they decided to part ways. Barnabas took Mark with him and Paul took Silas (Acts 15:36-41). When Paul was in his second imprisonment awaiting his death sentence, he commended him – "Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11).

A story is told about an elderly man who finished well even after ruining his life by moral failure. When he was in his late fifties, after years of living an exemplary Christian life, he had an affair, divorced his wife, and married the younger woman. He broke many hearts, brought shame to his children, and disillusionment to his grandchildren. His new life did not bring him the joy he expected. Eventually he repented. He couldn’t remarry the wife he had wronged, but he did have time to regain the respect of family and friends before he died.

Another story is told of the conversion and final days of a criminal. Deeply remorseful over what he had done, he met with loved ones of the people he had murdered to express his sorrow and to ask their forgiveness. He bade his own dear ones a touching farewell and went to the electric chair with grace.

While neither Manasseh nor David nor the elderly man nor the converted criminal left a legacy equal to that of people who never fell into sin, all four spent their final days in fellowship with God and died peacefully. It is never too late for repentance and restoration.

However, you and I must not take this as an invitation to live carelessly. Christians who think they can repent later have no guarantee that they will have that luxury. Furthermore, they will miss the joy of salvation that comes from a close walk with God, they will leave behind memories that don’t inspire others, and they will face the prospect of suffering loss at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

No matter where you are on life’s journey, now is the time to live well so that you can finish well. How well we end our earthly days depends largely on how well we handle life’s inevitable changes.

We proceed from infancy to childhood to adolescence and to adulthood. As adults, we move rapidly through the changes from singlehood to marriage, from parenthood to becoming grandparents, from getting ahead at work to the place where we peak and start going down the ladder. Our relationships change. Parents, uncles and aunties, and other members of their generation grow old and die. Our children grow up and move out. The people of our generation leave us one by one. We know that our own death is not far down the road.

The hymnwriter Henry F. Lyte was insightful when he wrote, "Change and decay in all around I see - O Thou who changest not, abide with me." To finish well, we must cope with these changes gracefully and trustingly. Here are eight areas in which mental and spiritual adjustments must be made as we go down life’s road:

1. Dealing with physical decline.

2. Coping with vocational disappointment.

3. Adjusting to family change.

4. Adapting to retirement.

5. Preparing for the death of your spouse.

6. Losing your independence. Once you were able and active but now immobile.

7. Planning your legacy.

8. Evaluating your performance.

Dearly beloved, we have one life to live; one race to run. We either live well and run well or we don’t. What is done for self will be burnt up in the furnace but what is done for Christ will reap an eternal reward.

May God help us to run the race that is set before us so that we may finish well (Hebrews 12:1; Colossians 4:17). Amen — CW