THE END by Larry W Peebles September 27, 2019 19.33
When we see a good movie, we know that it make take two hours or more to reach the end. A movie producer or director knows the end of the movie before they film any part of it. Step-by-step, each scene is shot with the ending in mind. One quality of any good leader is that they can see the end before they start. They may not have all the details, but they have a clear vision of where they are headed before they take the first step. When they lead out knowing where they are going, others will follow. I am retired now, but the last position I held in the workforce was the leader of a large division of a national homebuilder. The division was on the verge of closing its doors. Many operational and customer issues had resulted in poor performance and unsatisfactory results. My prior experiences told me these problems were all correctable. We had to simultaneously correct past mistakes with customers, and fix our operating systems to prevent these problems going forward. We had to do a better job with our customers and with our product. If we did the right thing in those two areas, the results would take care of themselves.
I found myself continually in the role of teacher, pointing out the differences between what was happening, what we wanted to happen, and how to get the desired outcome. We would often say “This may be the way we are living today, but it is not the way we are going to live tomorrow.” We are going to change. We painted a picture of what was possible, and pointed everyone toward it. We made those changes, and we turned that division around. It ultimately became one of the largest and most successful in the company. We just needed to focus on the end, the goal of our efforts, and commit to move in that direction.
Our temporal and spiritual lives need to have a similar focus. We know that our temporal lives in these bodies and on this earth will end one day, but our spiritual existence will not end. We are created in the image of God, who is an eternal spirit being. There is an eternal life after our physical death. Our temporal life should feed seamlessly into our eternal life, so that they in fact have a common goal. This is so important. Where can we go for the knowledge of the correct goal? Rather than move toward what feels right at the moment, is there someone who can advise us on the true meaning and purpose of our life? Who knows best what the end should look like?
We must seek the answer from Jesus. The Bible says He was not only present at Creation, but all things were made through Him (John1: 1-3). All things include you and me. Colossians 1:16 adds more-“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” All creation is for Him. He created it with a purpose. Who better to ask how our life should look at the end?
This verse takes us to the next step. Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans for peace and not of harm, to give you a hope and future.” We see that Jesus was present at Creation. He created us for Himself. He knew the plan and purpose for which we were created when we were created by Him. Knowing and acting on this specific purpose is the key to unlocking our hope and future.
Jesus does not merely know the end, He is the end. He does not merely know our end, He knows the end of all things. This is how He can make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28), but we must be operating according to His purpose. If we want things to work well, it is incumbent upon us to know this purpose.
In Revelation 22:13, Jesus tells us more about Himself when He says- “I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” This is one of at least twelve I AM statements attributed to Jesus and recorded by John in the Book of John and the Book of Revelations. This clearly establishes He was there at the beginning of Creation, and will be there at the end. He knows how this life should end.
If we are to lock –in on our God-given purpose, we must ask Him about the plan. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). To draw us into a relationship with Him, He requires that we ask. He promises that if we ask it will be given, or seek and we will find (Acts 7:7). He promises that if we ask anything in His name, He will do it (John 14:14). This is proof that we should not only ask this all-important question of what to do with our lives, we can also expect Him to answer.
God’s perfect knowledge of man is beautifully described in Psalm 139. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up: You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path, and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” Verses 1-4. “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will fear You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Verses 13-16. His plan for each of us was perfectly formed in eternity past. His wonderful plan for us existed before we came into the earth. Such is the infinite capacity of the mind of our God.
When weighed against the evidence of these scriptures, it is apparently foolish to think that our lives are our own, or that we can do with them as we please. Our lives are in the hands of a loving God, and we must seek to know His purpose for each of us. We are not truly living until we discover our purpose and then walk it out. Our joy is dependent upon it. We might think we are getting by, but the reality is that there is so much wasted eternal opportunity when we “do it our [my] way”.
Our prayer then becomes Psalm 39:4- the scripture which was the genesis for this article- “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days…” If I do not know where I am going, any road will do. When I am on the road to accomplishing my destiny, the purpose for which I was created, my life is filled with meaning. When we are doing what we are called to do, there is no difference between work and play. Both are the same.
God may not show you the end, and lay out each and every step in advance. He rarely does. He will show you the next step when you ask. I took the position in that homebuilding division because my wife and I had prayed and agreed that was the direction the Lord wanted us to go. He supplied the wisdom and endurance to make the necessary changes along the way. The results wildly exceeded my expectations. There were setbacks during the journey, but the successes far outnumbered the setbacks. Looking back, I can see His hand on the rudder, guiding the direction of the ship. When we seek the Lord’s wisdom and direction on the next step, He can give extraordinary results to an ordinary person. When God is at the helm, He can steer the ship to avoid the icebergs, and bring it safely into port, mission accomplished.
When the next step is successful, we will ask for the step after that. We are building a relationship with the Lord based on trust, and find ourselves talking with Him about every next step, no matter how small. Our confidence grows as we realize that each step is leading somewhere. Like each scene of a movie, it is leading to a glorious end. We may not be able to see it in detail, but we know it is good. Jesus, who said “I AM the bread of life” (John 6:35), also said “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) Jesus was only concerned about completing His heavenly assignment. We also have a heavenly assignment, and our fulfillment is related to completing it. My prayer is that we develop a habit of asking the Lord for the next step along the path to His good plan for our lives, because our true fulfillment is only found in Him.
