Joshua Swanson: Welcome to The Walk, a devotionals podcast led by Worship Leaders. Today Charles Billingsley brings thoughts on finishing well and be sure you finish this podcast as there’s so much good stuff. Here we go.
Charles Billingsley: Okay. Um, Well, Hey, I’m Charles Billingsley. And, um, uh, if for those of you who don’t know me, I went from feeling like one of the young guys to suddenly, I’m one of the old guys doing this. I’ve been doing this now for 30 years. And. Uh, in and out of thousands of churches over the course of the last three decades and done a lot of concerts.In fact, some of you listening, I may have been to your church here in the last 30 years, and, um, it’s kind of funny. It used to, uh, used to be, you know, I go into a church and I’m the young guy and the worship pastor is the older guy and I’m coming in as a guest. And now, now suddenly I’m, I’m older than all the worship pastors.
So, uh, I appreciate you listening today. Um, A worship leader was, was kind enough to ask me to give you a little devotional and I, and, uh, there’s, there’s so many things I would love to share with you, but, um, for some reason this morning, I just feel compelled to talk to you about how to finish strong. Um, second Timothy chapter four is a great, uh, it was a great starting place for, uh, for where we’ll talk from today.
Um, let me just give you a little context. It’s a. It’s 66, a D the apostle Paul sitting in a dungeon in a mammary teen prison in Rome. It’s cold, it’s wet reeks of human waste and trash, and there’s no beds and there’s no food and there’s no friends, no comforts. It’s. It’s a former sister that he’s sitting in.
So it’s basically this deep hole in the ground. There’s no ventilation except for little small window towards the top. And actually you can go to Rome and, and actually see this very room, uh, even today. So Paul is sitting there in solitary confinement and it’s here that Paul is awake. His imminent execution.
And he doesn’t know if it’s going to be in just a few days or several months down the road, but he knows he’s not going to be released this time. He’s not getting out. He’s at the end of the day. And at some point after writing, uh, this letter to Timothy, Paul is taken out of the maritime prison and he’s brought next door to what was called the Basilica, Julia and he’s placed before a court that was built by Julius Caesar, where he would stand trial.
Now, before the emperor Nero. And as a Roman citizen, he was granted a noble death by beheading. Uh, if you can call that noble. And he was taken outside of the city borders on the Appian road where he knelt down and placed his neck over a block. And with one swipe of the sword, he went from the Imperial city of Rome to the eternal city of God.
And it’s in this prison. And in these conditions that Paul wrote. His very last letter. And this was his second letter to Timothy. Now Nero was the emperor of Rome, of course. And he’s this infamous crazy leader. He rose to power in 50AD, 48AD. And, and he was a lover of the arts, singing, and dancing and even competed in his own Olympic games.
Of course, uh, he won every event because they were afraid for their lives. If they actually declared anybody else a winner, he killed his own mother. He killed his first one. And it said that even killed a second wife as well, who was pregnant at the time by literally kicking her in the stomach. He was a crazy leader, but despite all this, he was known at times for his generosity and random acts of kindness to his people.
But as with all emperors, he had all authority to do whatever he wanted. Because Rome ruled the world and it was not a democracy. You don’t vote an emperor out of office or into office. And he was known for playing the fiddle while Rome was burning many believe he was the reason for the fire in Rome and 64 ID.
And that took most of the city out, regardless. It was a really convenient way to rebuild. His palace. And it was also a convenient way to blame this small group of quote-unquote heathens in Rome for all the destruction. And of course in Rome, the Romans considered Christians heathens because they were monotheistic.
They believed in one God versus multiple gods. And so it gave Nero this great opportunity to torture and kill all the Christians he could find. And Peter and Paul were of course, two Christians that fell victim to this great persecution, uh, between 64 and 67 AD Peter of course, was crucified upside down.
Paul, who was a Roman citizen was beheaded just outside of Rome. And in the midst of all this, there’s this young pastor named Timothy who’s pastoring, a church emphasis. Both Peter and Paul spent time in the same prison. It was the final stop for their trial and execution and Timothy, who’s many miles away is aware of what’s happening only because of word of mouth.
And of course this last letter, what makes this last letter of Paul so significant is that it was his final words and final words as, you know, watching movies or whatever. Carry a lot of weight when people hang on the last words of, uh, of people. In fact, it’s interesting to just Google famous last words.
Here’s a couple that are kind of interesting to me. Groucho Marx. His last word is that he lay dying. Was he let out one last Quip? He said this is no way to live. Uh, Joseph Henry Green, who was a famous surgeon, was checking his own pulse as he lay there dying. And his last word was stop. That’s uh, that’s chilling, really?
Michael Landon, a famous actor Christian actor, best known for his role in the Little House in Prairie. And another show that he had called Highway to Heaven. He died of cancer in 1991, and his family was gathered around his bed and his son said it was time to, and his son kind of leaned down to him and he, he gave his dad permission.
He said, “it’s time to move on Dad.” And Michael Landon said, “you’re right, son. It’s time. I love you all.” Those are powerful. Last words, you know, uh, and there’s so many others that are, if you just Google, it’s kind of interesting to see, but when I read the book of second Timothy, I look at this as the final words of a dying man.
Now the final words of a diamond always cause us to sit up and listen to the height of our ability and listen to what Paul says in chapter four, verse six for, I am already being poured out as a drink offering. And the time of my departure is. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I’ve kept the faith.
Finally, there’s laid up for me, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only, but also to all of those who have left his appearing. Can I just give you a few little tips on how to finish strong? Not just. Life, but in your ministry with your family in all things that you do, first of all, just, and the outline is right there in verse seven for us, first of all, fight the good fight.
Live your life with no retreats. Josh Chamberlain, who was an amazing, uh, general in the civil war fought for the union army. Uh, there’s a famous story where he, uh, with no bullets left and no, and just bayonets and, and about, uh, a very small band of soldiers. I think he was down to like 70 soldiers, uh, had this, uh, crazy.
A moment at the top of a hill in the battle of Gettysburg that literally turned the tide of the, uh, of the battle when he was with his, and just a last-minute desperation move stood up on top of that Stonewall and yelled for his men to charge. Well, there were no bullets left on all they had was bayonets, but the boldness of that movie literally shocked all of the Confederate army.
So severely that they thought, well, there’s no way that this small band of soldiers would be this crazy to charge all of us thousands of soldiers. So they literally turned the tide and ran. And in that moment it emboldened another part of the union army on their flank. And in the course of a few minutes, This small band of soldiers that Josh Chamberlain led had captured a thousand soldiers in the union and the, in the Confederate army.
And as a result that turned the tide of the, of the battle, which in turn turned the tide of the war, which in turn determined the outcome of literally the future of our nation. It’s amazing. How one little moment. Like that, uh, mark Batterson would call it 20 seconds of insane courage. How one little moment, like that can change everything.
And later on, they asked Josh Chamberlain about why he did something so crazy. And he said these words I had within me, the inability to do nothing. I had within me the inability to do nothing, wow. To fight the good fight to, live your life with no retreats, means you have that kind of mindset. You have the mindset that no matter what happens, you will endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
You will fight any fight, to fight any five presumes that you’re actually on the battlefield. It doesn’t mean that you’re sitting on the side. It means that you’re actually in the fight. I think that sometimes as believers, we, uh, we’re very comfortable just sitting on the sidelines, but that’s not what God’s called you to do.
He wants you to be part of the battle. And I don’t mean you’re rude and I don’t mean you’re vicious. And I don’t mean that you’re mean, and I don’t mean that you’re vindictive and I don’t mean that you’re unloving what it means to be in the battle. Actually just the opposite. You are kind, you are gracious, you are loving, you love those around you to the point that you’re in the midst of a spiritual warfare against the forces of darkness.
So you got to be on the battlefield in order to be able to fight the good fight. It’s been said, the Christian life is not lived down on a playground. It’s lived down on a battlefield and that’s very true. Every day you wake up and you need to remember that you’re in a war. Bullets may not be flying, but fiery darts are coming from the evil one.
You will be tempted. You will be stressed. You will be confronted and have to confront Satan would let them nothing more than to see another soldier leave the battlefield because you’ve been wounded by moral failure or an addiction or abuse, or even apathy that sets in, but you don’t just want to fight.
You want to fight the good fight. That’s what Paul says. So what is the good fight that Paul’s talking about? One of the fights for the faith, both publicly and privately, is that every decision you make in the middle of the battle will be what eventually determines the result of the battle. Remember Josh Chamberlain. And you want to win the battle.
Now, all battles are part of a war, but as a Christian, you can rest assured that you are on the winning side. The war is already won. That’s the big picture. And that’s the best news of all. But for you personally, how are you doing in the battle? Are you winning your own personal battle against sin.
Joshua Swanson: I’m going to jump back in here and give us a beat to process. There’s so much good stuff here and so much more to come. Let’s take a moment and meditate on 2 Timothy 4:6-8: 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Quickly, before we go back to Charles, the crew here at Authentic Media and Worship Leader are so grateful to you for listening and we have a favor to ask. Could you subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast network? That really helps us get the word out about what we’re trying to do here with these devotionals. Thanks so much for your help. Now back to Charles as he uncovers exactly what “winning” really means.
Charles Billingsley: I love racketball. I love golf. And one thing I’ve learned about playing sports is a little acronym called Win. W I N what really sets great athletes. Apart from average ones is the ability to forget what lies behind and focus on exactly what’s impacting. Now that’s what that acronym is. W I N what’s important now. If I make a bad shot in racquetball or lose a point, I can’t dwell on that because another point is right now in play, I need to focus on that point, that moment right now.
So you have to ask yourself this question before you sacrifice your entire future or your testimony on the altar of temporary gratification. You have to ask yourself in the midst of, of, of, of the temptation to watch this show, where to do this, something with somebody that, you know, you shouldn’t be doing or, or to go to this place, sort of say these words, ask yourself, is it worth this temporary gratification in the long road, down in my future?
Was it worth, it is what I’m about to do right now, really worth it. And will it cause me to not be able to finish strong? Is it worth it? What’s important? Now you can win against sin, but you have to have the mindset of a warrior, a soldier of the cross. So you can choose to fight about anything, but to fight the good fight means a few things.
First of all, we’re going to choose our battles carefully. Don’t wait, don’t waste your time fighting about things that don’t matter. I tell you what, sometimes I go on things like Twitter, I’m pretty sure Twitter is just the place, and you may have to edit this out, but I’ve just convinced myself that Twitter is the place where middle-aged white Christians go to fight with each other.
And it’s, it’s maddening. I don’t understand why we’re trying to be on the same team, why we would spend so much time in our day, uh, witch hunting, other believers, for crying out loud. Why do we spend so much time fighting with other believers about petty opinions, or minor little theological differences? I choose to fight for the good things like your family’s well being, your children’s education, who they are, what has influence in your life and their life fight for what’s decent.
What’s righteous? What’s holy? What’s a moral fight for justice? Fight for peace, fight for freedom, and certainly fight for the faith. There’s a battle raging in our nation. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we cannot afford to just talk about it. We got to do something for. Remember this battle is fueled by the supernatural powers of darkness who want nothing less than the total destruction of all that is godly and all that is good soldiers.
Don’t meet on the battlefield to chat. You gotta be prepared to fight the good fight. And let me assure you. It is. The effort. So fight the good fight for all that is right and decent in the world for all that is godly. And secondly, be prepared for that. You have to remember the battle is not with flesh and blood, but against what does Ephesians 6:8 say “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
The Christian life is a fight against a never ending struggle against evil. It is not an earthly military campaign, but a spiritual battle against. This is why we must take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand the evil of the day. And by the way, it is every day. So you’re going to need some equipment and you know, the equipment, you can go to Ephesians six and read it for yourself.
The helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of peace and the belt of truth. This is how you got to get dressed every morning before he even put your jeans on, put on the shield, the helmet, the breastplate, the boots, the belt of truth. Be prepared for battle and thirdly, fight from her knees the best way to win the battle against the evil one.
And the evils of our society is in and through the power of the holy. You know the song that Phil Wickham wrote. So when I fight, I fight on my knees with my hands lifted high, oh God, the battle belongs to you. So pray like it depends on God’s work. Like it depends on us. And remember that your primary weapon is the love of Jesus, but mercy and grace and peacemaking and wise words and gentle answers and forgiveness are also really powerful weapons as well.
So here’s the good news. You have no need to fear you’re on the winning side. So jump in the battle, fight the good fight for his kingdom, for the. Every day and do it for the rest of your life. You see the key to finishing strong is what Eugene Peterson said. It is a long obedience in the same direction.
So how do you fight the good fight? You win one single paddle at a time like it or not, you’re in a war for yourself, and this is not a war you can afford to lose. So now live your life in the confidence that he will help you overcome. Fight the good fight, no retreats. Secondly, keep the faith, live your life with no regrets.
And let me give you one more thing. Thirdly, finish strong, finish your way, your race with no reserves. Do you ever have a day when you accomplish a ton, but you’re doing exactly what you feel like you were made. And even though it’s a massive amount of work and you get to the end of a 1920 hour day and you’re done, you lay your head on the pillow with a smile on your face.
Because even though you’re exhausted, you are fulfilled knowing you gave it your all. It gives us the picture of an athlete, a marathon runner in a marathon. Runners don’t start off running marathons. They have to train for these events and they do this by starting off with smaller achievable goals. Um, Jim Collins in his book.
Good to Great mentioned this thing called. It means big, hairy, audacious goals. I’m not really sure why he added the word Harry, but he did. And, um, and these things can be intimidating, but you accomplish the big goals by what I would call. Lags little accomplishable goals. And if you’ll just set little accomplishable goals each and every step of the way, you’ll look back many years from now and realize that you accomplished many of your biggest goals, simply because you chose to take the first step and then continue to take little steps along the way.
And here’s the thing. If you can do it for one day, you can do it for now. And if you can do it for two days in a row, now you’re on a winning streak. So keep that mindset right. And then one day you look back and you look how far you’ve come. So just a few things about finishing strong and living your life with no reserves, stay alert, don’t get distracted by something or someone else, be in the moment, be fully present in everything and all that you do.
Secondly, stay the course. The key to finishing well, is do you live your life as a long obedience in the same direction? As I said, just a moment ago, and I’ll just close with this, there was a, a race in ancient Greece. It was called the lamp, ah, drone Mia. It was, uh, one of the first races ever created.
And in this race, the runners held a torch in their hand and they passed it onto the next runner. It was sort of the beginning of what we would know as a relay in the Olympics. And of course the final member of the crop of the member of the team crossed the finish line. But here’s the difference. The prize for the lamp to draw Mia, who, the prize winners, were not awarded the prize for being the fastest team.
It was awarded to the first team to reach the finish line with their torch still lit. Can I just tell you something, the pressure is on. You don’t have to finish first. You don’t have to be the best worship leader in the world. You don’t have to be the best musician in the world. You certainly don’t have to be the best singer in the world.
You know what? You don’t have to be finishing your life rich or famous, or have to write a bunch of big famous songs like Chris Tomlin, or be the latest, greatest artists like Phil Wickham. You don’t have to do any of that, uh, to finish. You don’t have to do the best or the most successful, the big boss or the most popular. All God wants you to do is finish faithful, finish with your torch, still lit.
And if you do that, you’ll look back and be so grateful that you stayed faithful to him. And you’ll also discover time and time again, that he stays faithful to you. I ran across this. Uh, by one of my dear friends who passed away not long ago, um, he wrote a book called, um, finished strong. It’s this man named Steve Farrar.
And he had this little poem in his book. And, um, I don’t even know who wrote it, but I thought, uh, as a way to. Uh, finish this little devotion. I just share this with you. And, uh, and just again, let you know how much, uh, we’re cheering you on all of us, me included, and I pray that you’ll do the same for me, because what we don’t need is more ministers and more worship leaders failing, morally and falling by the wayside.
What we need is people finishing strong for the glory of God. So this is a little poem called the finish, and I’ll just share it with you as we close. Defeat. He lay there silently, a tear drop from his eye. There’s no sun. There’s no sense running anymore. Three falls. I’m out. Why try? I’ve lost. So what’s the use?
He thought I just, I live with my disgrace, but then he thought about his dad who soon he’d have to face, get up. An echo sounded low. You haven’t lost it all for all you have to do to win is rise. Each time you fall, get up the echo urge, demand, get up and take your. You were not meant for failure here. So get up and win the race.
So up, he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit, and he resolved that the winner would lose. At least he wouldn’t. So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been still, he gave it all and ran like he could win three times. He’d fallen, stumbling, and three times he rose again too far behind to hope to win.
He still ran to the end. They cheered for another boy who crossed the line and won first place, his head high and proud and happy, no falling notice grace, but when the fallen youngster finally crossed the line in last place, The crowd gave him the greater cheer for finishing the race. Even though he came in with head bowed low, and I’m proud, you would’ve thought he’d won the race to listen to the crowd and to his dad.
He sadly said I didn’t do so well. Well, to me, you won his father. You rose each time you fell. And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face, the Marine memory of that little boy helps me in my own race for all of life is like that race with ups and downs and all, and all you have to do is to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face, another voice within me says get up. And when that breaks. Maybe you’re like that little boy and you’ve fallen a whole lot. You feel like you failed, you failed your church, you failed your family. You feel like you’re finished. Well, I assure you my friend, as long as there’s breath in your body, you are not finished.
God still has a plan and a purpose for you. So get up. Could you just start again right after the poem that occurred to me?
So, let me, let me just, uh, give this to you. As we close, you know, there may be some of you who are listening today, feel like you’re, you’re done. You feel like you’ve thrown in the towel. You feel like you failed your family, you failed your church, you failed yourself. Um, can I just remind you that, uh, you can be like that little boy in that poem.
Um, the race is not a. You’re not done. And as long as there’s breath in your bones, you can get up and you can finish this restaurant. Because remember, it’s not about how you started, it’s how you finish, and no matter what kind of failures or problems or issues or things you’ve done in the past, they may plague you.
And Satan would sure love to discourage you with it. But I have to tell you. Man, some of the greatest lessons in life can be learned from those failures, but you don’t have to finish that way. You can finish strong. So get up when the race and live each and every moment to his glory and his alone, and you’ll reach the end of your journey one day.
And I believe that God will look at you and say, well done, good and faithful servant. God bless you.
Joshua Swanson: Here’s Ephesians 6:12-13: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…God, I just pray that you’ll given everyone listening to this episode the ability to stand their ground. Keep their faith. Grow in the fruits of the Spirit. And finish well.
Thank you Charles for an incredible devotional. Charles has a new album out called The Shadow of Your Smile and here’s a clip from You’ll Never Walk Alone.
You can learn more about Charles over at WorshipLeader.com. Thanks to Matt McCartie for his work producing and editing today’s podcast. Our theme song is by Jacob Fairclough. The Walk is brought to you by Worship Leader Magazine, an Authentic Media brand. I’m Joshua Swanson. Thanks for listening.
