Finishing Well In Christ

 

One Campaign SG2021 – Reading the Gospels, Matt 1-3. Reflection from Matthew 1.  

The genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:1-17) threw up this interesting observation. There are 4 ways of how a person’s life turns out.

1              We can start well and end well.

2              We can start well but end badly.

3              We can start badly but end well.

4              We can start badly and end badly.

That truth is seen here in the genealogy of Jesus. Look at the characters here. Josiah (v11), the reformer king, started well and ended well. So did Abraham (v2) and David (v6) although they hit a few bumps along the way. Solomon (v6) started out well by asking for wisdom to rule but ended badly when he married foreign wives who turned his heart away from the true God. His son Rehoboam was worse, starting badly and ending badly (v7). Under him, the nation of Israel split into two. There were others too  who also started badly and ended badly like Manasseh and Amon (v10). On the other hand, there was Rahab (v5), who being a prostitute, started badly but ended up well by saving Joshua’s spies resulting in saving herself and her family.

We may not have much choice over how we start but how we end up depends on the choices we make along the road of life. In other words, we may start badly but the Good News of the Gospel promises us we can end well, when we surrender our lives to Jesus. Even if we have been among the chief of sinners, the Gospel promises cleansing through the blood of Jesus. Even if we have started well as a Christian and then back-slided into gross sin, there is hope of a turn-around when we return back to Jesus. That is the message of the Bible. God invites the wicked, and without Christ, we are all wicked people and enemies of God, to repent of our sin and be reconciled with him through Jesus Christ. God invites the backslidden to return and renew their relationship with him. This is the message peppered throughout the Bible. I know this message because I have experienced its truth. I was on a downward slide to perdition, with no hope of a proper life even here on earth. But Jesus rescued me, planted my life on solid ground and gave me an abundant life. All that I have achieved is by his grace alone. I have a good and happy life now. Walking with Jesus is exciting and fulfilling. It can be challenging at times, but Jesus has never left me high and dry. Further, I have a bright future for tomorrow in eternity. We all can end up well when we belong to Jesus and walk in a posture of trust that he knows best and therefore all we need to do is follow his leading. When we do so, ending up well is guaranteed even though we have started out very badly.