Just For Pastors 40: Do It All!

The evening before He was nailed to a cross, Jesus said to His Father “I have finished the work which you gave me to do” (John 17.4). I love that – that’s a prayer I want to pray the evening before I go to Heaven. I did it all Jesus – everything you gave me to do, I have done it.

Paul wanted to die early and not finish his race – and said he was torn between going to Heaven and staying on Earth, but what swayed him to stand up and believe he wouldn’t be martyred at this time is that he had not finished his course. Paul never lived the life he wanted personally – he lived for Christ, He wasn’t working for a pension and early retirement, he wasn’t living for the applause of men, he was living for his divine assignment. I had a season as a travelling evangelist, then a season as a pastor, now I am still pastoring but my primarly function is apostolic. It’s finding out each step, doing each step and completing each step, then we will complete the entire thing.

Finally, Paul finished his assignment, he told Timothy “I fought the good fight, I ran my race, I kept the faith”. When he went, he was ready to go because he had done all that God had called him to.

This is how we need to live our lives. We need to finish our course and run our race. We must complete our calling. Keep doing what you are called to do until it is done!

I see people in the wrong assignment all the time. I see pastors who should be travelling, I see evangelists who should be planting a church, often they change season quickly and repeatedly – and if you ask why – hey you were travelling, then you started a church, then you closed the church, then you were travelling again, now you are trying to start a media ministry, now you are planting a church again – and they will always say “I just feel the Lord leading me brother” – no, if God leads you to do something, you do it until it is done. You win, you beat the devil, you extend the kingdom, then you move on when the Lord leads you to the next phase, you go from faith to faith, strength to strength, and glory to glory!

Don’t quit when it is tough, fight. Do what God has told you to do and do what it takes to get it done. It will get hard, you will grow weary, you keep going. Take some rest if you need to, but don’t quit. Let’s finish our course, let’s run our race, let’s do it all.

AMEN!