You Are Not Finished Yet
You must never allow yesterday’s obedience to make you careless about today’s assignment. Maybe God has already used your life to help people. Maybe you have prayed for others, preached, taught, encouraged, served, given, or shared the gospel. Maybe you have seen people turn back to God because you obeyed. That should make you grateful, but it should never make you think the work is finished. You are still here. That means you still have responsibility. Philippians 3:14 says, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul did not live as though yesterday’s victories were enough. He kept pressing forward. You must do the same. It is dangerous to become spiritually satisfied simply because God has already used you. Some people begin well and later become comfortable. They remember the souls they reached years ago. They remember the prayers they prayed. They remember the sacrifices they made. But while they are celebrating the past, they stop obeying in the present. Your past obedience cannot finish today’s assignment for you. If God has given you influence, use it well. If He has given you a voice, speak truth. If He has given you a testimony, use it to point people toward Christ. If He has placed people around you who do not know Him, do not assume someone else will speak to them. Romans 10:14 asks, “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” That does not mean everyone must stand behind a pulpit. It means someone must speak. Someone must pray. Someone must care. Someone must be willing to tell another person that Jesus Christ saves. You should never forget that souls matter more than recognition. Ministry can easily become about numbers, applause, followers, influence, titles, and visible success. But God is not asking you to become famous. He is asking you to become faithful. First Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” Faithfulness may not always look dramatic. It may be one conversation. One person. One prayer. One act of obedience. One message that reaches someone at the right moment. You may never know on earth how far your obedience traveled. That is why you must keep going. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Do not stop because you are tired. Do not stop because people misunderstood you. Do not stop because the results seem small. Do not stop because you expected more. Do not stop because you have already done much. Your responsibility is faithfulness. God gives the increase. First Corinthians 3:7 says, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” That should keep you humble. If many people are helped through your life, you must remember that Jesus is the Savior. You did not change their hearts by your own power. You did not die for them. You did not rise again for them. You are only a servant. But servants still have work to do. You also need to understand that eternal reward should not make you proud. Scripture speaks about crowns and reward, but the point is not to make you compete with other believers. The point is to remind you that your life matters before God. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.” There is a reward for faithfulness. There is value in endurance. There is purpose in continuing. But do not become so focused on reward that you forget the One you serve. Jesus Himself is greater than every crown. The greatest joy is not receiving something from Him. The greatest joy is belonging to Him. Still, one day your work on earth will end. Your last opportunity to speak will come. Your last prayer will be prayed. Your last act of service will be completed. Your last breath will leave your body. Then you will no longer be able to go back and do what you kept postponing. That is why you must use your time now. Ephesians 5:16 says, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Do not waste years waiting for a perfect moment. Do not say, “I will serve God when life becomes easier.” Do not say, “I will speak to that person later.” Do not say, “I will become serious when I am older.” You do not know how much time you have. The day truth becomes unavoidable will come, and when it comes, you will not care about the things that once distracted you. You will care whether you were faithful. So ask yourself: Who has God placed around you? What responsibility have you been postponing? What truth have you been afraid to speak? What assignment have you started but not finished? Where have you become comfortable? Where have you stopped pressing forward? Second Timothy 4:7 records Paul saying, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” That should become your desire. Finish your course. Do not merely start well. Do not live for a powerful beginning and a careless ending. Remain faithful until the end. And if you do not yet belong to Jesus Christ, your first responsibility is not ministry. It is salvation. You cannot work your way into Heaven. You need forgiveness. You need Christ. Jesus died for your sins and rose again. Come to Him while you still have breath. Repent. Believe. Receive Him. Then live the rest of your life for the One who saved you. Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus Christ. I admit that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again. Lord Jesus, forgive me, wash me with Your blood, and have mercy on me. I repent of my sins and turn away from my old life. Come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Give me the strength to obey You, follow You, and live for You from this day forward. Write my name in the Book of Life and help me to remain faithful to You until the end. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. AMEN