Insight for Living

Those who make a lasting difference finish well. They don’t merely start well or maintain well, they finish well. They stay in the race all the way to the finish line. They endure. They persevere to the end. As one man put it, they sustain “a long obedience in the same direction.” This was Paul’s great hope for Timothy, who had received a solid foundation that set him on his way—he started well. He had proved himself a faithful traveling companion and loyal disciple of Paul for years—he maintained well. Both were certainly commendable, but neither was enough; Timothy needed to finish well.

With Timothy about to be on his own without Paul’s presence and encouragement, the question he must answer was, “How?” As we shall see, the answer has everything to do with how greatly he valued, how diligently he studied, how strongly he defended, and how personally he embraced and applied the God-breathed truth of Holy Scripture. What was true for Timothy is equally true for us: we will finish only as well as we stand for truth.