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WORD FOR TODAY by Bob Gass

Finishing strong 01 Jun 2006

'...I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE...' 2 TIMOTHY 4:7

Ben Johnson of Canada won the 100-metre dash, setting a new Olympic
record and a new world record. The American contender, Carl Lewis, came
in second. Most were shocked that he hadn't won the Gold. After the race
the judges learned that Johnson had an illegal substance in his body, so
they took away his medal. Though he ran faster and made an unforgettable
impression, he forfeited the prize. When Dawson Trotman, founder of The
Navigators, drowned in Schroon Lake while saving someone's life, Time
Magazine reported: 'Dawson Trotman was always holding somebody up.' Ben
Johnson lived for himself. Dawson Trotman lived for others. One finished
strong, the other didn't. There are three kinds of people who arrive at
the finish line of life: 1) Those who start wrong but finish right. Like
Paul: '...I persecuted the church...and tried to destroy it' (Galatians
1:13 NIV). But after he met Christ on the Damascus Road, Paul's life was
captioned in one phrase, 'For to me to live is Christ...' (Philippians
1:21 KJV) 2) Those who start right but finish wrong. King Saul was one.
He strayed from God's will and lost his crown at Mount Gilboa (the word
Gilboa means pride). His life is summed up in these his final words,
'"...I have acted like a fool..."' (1 Samuel 26:21 NIV) 3) Those who are
afraid to run. The following poem describes them: 'There was a very
cautious man who never laughed or played; he never risked, he never
tried, he never sang or prayed. And when one day he passed away, his
insurance was denied; for since he never really lived, they claimed he
never died.' Which of the three are you?