Finishing Strong - 2 Timothy 4:7

Welcome to Weekly Wisdom, an inspirational series hosted by Pastor Jeff Schreve. Each week, Pastor Jeff illuminates different sections of the Holy Bible, meticulously extracting pivotal themes and life lessons that can enrich and uplift your daily life. 

This series invites you to delve deeper into understanding the scripture, offering a transformative platform for spiritual growth. As you navigate through this journey, you will be offered an opportunity to fortify your relationship with God, accompanied by Pastor Jeff's insightful guidance. 

Join us weekly as we engage in heartfelt prayer and foster a stronger connection to God, under the expert guidance of Pastor Jeff Schreve. Experience a profound transformation as you embrace the wisdom of the Bible, distilled for you, each week.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Two Timothy, chapter four, verse seven says this, I have
fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I
have kept the faith. In the future, there is laid
up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.
Let's pray together. Father. We give you praise for you alone,

(00:20):
our God. Thank you that you are king of the universe.
You are the one who is large and in charge.
We ask that you would teach us today as we
study your word for you, pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
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Speaker 1 (01:50):
Thank you for listening to another episode of the Weekly
Wisdom Podcast. I'm Pastor Jeff Shree from Tech Sarcana, Texas,
and today I want to talk to you about finishing
strong in the race of life and in the good
fight of faith. Now, the year was sixty seven a d.
The Apostle Paul was in a dark and dirty prison

(02:11):
in Rome. He was awaiting execution. He knew that the
time of his departure from planet Earth was coming soon,
and he was so excited to meet the Lord Jesus
and enter into the joy of his master. Now, how
did Paul have this great assurance of his future? How
did he know that the Lord was going to be

(02:32):
pleased with him. It's because Paul had lived his Christian
life sold out to Jesus. Hey, he was not perfect,
but he was all in for the Lord in his kingdom.
And he finished the race in full stride, still on
fire for the Lord, still in love with Jesus Christ.

(02:53):
And he couldn't wait to show the Lord all that
was done in his name. He couldn't wait to say,
in great human liafy and gratitude, Master, you entrusted five
talents to me. See I have gained five more talents.
You know. All too often people face death without the
humble confidence and joyful expectation that Paul had. So many

(03:15):
people face death with fear, regret, and shame. So many
have wasted much of their life pursuing fame and fortune, position,
possessions and pleasure, And sadly, when the time of their
departure arrives, they realize that worldly success meant nothing. As
Solomon said, all is vanity and striving after wind. In

(03:38):
the end, what really matters is boiled down to this.
Number one, did you truly know the Lord Jesus and
have a personal relationship with him? And number two did
you live your life to please him above all else?
Are you giving him your very best? Hey, if your

(03:58):
answer to question number one is that you don't truly
know the Lord, you are in a terrible situation, in
terrible trouble unless you sincerely surrender your heart and soul
to Jesus and receive him as your savior and Lord. Now,
if your honest answer to question number two, did you
live your life to please him above all else is no,

(04:20):
you need to make changes in the way you're living
starting today, because the Lord is the great King who
is worthy of your very best. Now, Paul knew he
would have to give an account of his life to
the Lord one day. He knew that it paid to
serve Jesus, and the knowledge of that truth kept him
faithful to the very end, even when times were tough,

(04:44):
even when he felt like quitting. Now, no matter where
you are today in your spiritual life, the quote is
so true. In aate over till it's over, If you
still have breath, you still have time to turn it
around for Jesus Christ. Maybe you've fallen on the racetrack
of life and have not gotten back up, Or maybe

(05:06):
you have said the fight is too hard and you've
left the ring. Hey, the Lord's hand is stretched out
to you. He says, in effect, I know you've blown it,
but I'm not through with you yet. My grace is
sufficient for you. Take my hand, get back in the race,
and let's finish strong. Will you choose to love and

(05:29):
encourage rather than criticize and condemn. Will you choose to
invest your time, talent, and treasure into furthering the Kingdom
of God rather than furthering the kingdom of self. Will
you focus on serving the Lord rather than serving your
own personal interests. Remember the immortal words of British missionary

(05:50):
set stud only one life twill soon be passed. Only
what's done for Christ will last. When the time of
your departure comes, you too, can have the confidence of
the Apostle Paul, if you will surrender your life to
Jesus and be on mission with him. Let's pray Father

(06:13):
in heaven. We want to finish strong. We want to
hear you say well done, my good and faithful servant. Lord,
help us. We can't do this on our own. We
need your strength and we need your power. Help us
to live each day as if it is our last day,
making the most of the time that you've given us

(06:34):
and help us to never quit no matter how tough
it might get. We pray all this in Jesus name. Amen. Well,
thank you for listening to this episode of the Weekly
Wisdom Podcast. I'm Pastor Jeff Shreeve and I would love
to connect with you. Visit my ministry website at Fromhisheart
dot org for resources and other opportunities to help you

(06:56):
grow in your faith, for more wisdom to last a lifetime,
and to make prayer priority in your life. Download thepray
dot com app. If you enjoyed the podcast, please share
it with someone in your life who might also be
encouraged by it. Thanks again for listening, Make it a
great week, and make God richly bless you