But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24
“Some often expressed their doubts to each other and said: ‘Are we accomplishing anything brothers? Are we obtaining our requests? Will the Lord accept us again? Will He open to us?’ And to this others would reply: ‘Who knows, as our brothers the Ninevites said, if God will repent and will deliver us even from great punishment? In any case, let us do our part. And if He opens the door, well and good. And if not, blessed is the Lord God who in His justice has closed the door to us. At least let us persist in knocking at the door till the end of our life.”
John Climacus (6th century monk) in The Ladder of Divine Ascent, translated by Archimandrite Lazarus Moore (Harper & Brothers, 1959) 31.
In today’s Scripture, the apostle Paul expresses his unswerving resolve to finishing the task God gave Him. Then in reading John Climacus, we realize that this is not easy. We wonder, “Are we accomplishing anything brothers?”
I met with some of the Founders of Kingdom Capital Fund last night for dinner. They admit they wondered that for years in the early days of the last two decades. But they persisted, sometimes asking, “Are we obtaining our requests?”
And now through the God as CEO program, they are rallying professionals in large numbers to shift from building wealth to building God’s kingdom. And Climacus adds to focus not on the results but on doing our part.
When people start to get it, KCF rallies them to give generously to ministry partners. To read the report of my training with ministry partners, click here.
Tonight I speak at a KCF 2.0 event. I appreciate your prayers for Spirit-filled speaking and receptive hearts. Participants will receive a branded copy of my KCF devotional, Finishing Well. Click here to download your free copy.
And resolve to focus not on achieving results or obtaining requests. Instead, ask yourself what finishing well looks like for you. Pursue that.