Finish Strong

Hey there and welcome to today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional the Torah. Patton wrote today's reading and she titled it finished 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 at 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 were exercising our physical muscles or working out our God-given abilities through actions, words and deeds we need to 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 chapter 20 verses 17 through 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 serve 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 with 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 way down, please remind us that were 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 Tony Collier and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries