The end of a year sounds a note of finality that sometimes is accompanied with feelings of relief that this one is finally over; other times with regret for things not finished as they should have been; while still others are ended on a note of joy and satisfaction.
Everything that has a beginning also has an end. And it is appropriate to look at the ending of things to examine how they were finished.
This week I took a few minutes to read the end of each of the books in the New Testament. Take a look at a sampling of these last words:
· “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.” (Romans)
· “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen” (1 Corinthians)
· “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians)
· “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” (Galatians)
· “Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” (Ephesians)
· “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Philippians)
· “The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.” (Colossians)
· “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” (1 Thessalonians)
· “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (2 Thessalonians)
· “Grace be with thee. Amen.” (1 Timothy)
· “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.” (2 Timothy)
· “All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.” (Titus)
· “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” (Philemon)
· “Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy
Two recurring things jumped out at me in these benedictions. The first is “grace” and the second is “Amen”.
In the words at the end of the Pauline Epistles I see some applicable truths for our lives to help us Finish Well in 2010.
1. Let us finish 2010 by ministering Grace.
a. Is there someone in your life with whom you have a dispute, or toward whom you hold bitterness or anger? You can finish well by offering God’s grace to them. (see Matthew 5:23-24; Mark 11:25-26)
b. Is there someone in your life who is overwhelmed with the burdens of life, one for whom there is no joy at the ending of another year? You can finish well by ministering the healing grace of God in their life. (see 2 Corinthians 4:15-17)
c. Is there someone in your life who needs to know about the saving grace of God? You can finish well by sharing God’s grace with them. (see Ephesians 2:8-9)
2. Let us finish 2010 with an “Amen”.
What does that mean? Well, the word “Amen” simply means to confirm a truth, oath or covenant. In our lives, this means to put an exclamation point on an ending, saying, “It is finished. I’ve ended right.” It’s not to say that all in my life this past year was as it should have been, but that I am ending my year right with God and right with man. (see Acts 24:16)
Charles Spurgeon said it this way, “Amen is sometimes used in Scripture as an amen of resolution. It means, ‘I, in the name of God, solemnly pledge myself that, in His strength, I will seek to make it so; to Him be glory both now and for ever.’” (from A Psalm for the New Year)
By God’s Grace, let’s finish 2010 by ministering grace and finishing with an “Amen”!
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