I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up 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 loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NASB)
In golf, the first holes count the same as the last holes. It sure feels good to finish well, but that par save on number one is just as important as that birdie putt on the last hole. You can’t win the tournament on the early holes, but you can lose it.
I think the journey in life and our pursuit of faithfulness is different. It does matter how you finish. How about those great men of faith who started well but unfortunately made some poor choices later, disqualifying them from ministry? Finishing well in this faith journey is more important than how we start. People tend to remember the end of one’s life more than the beginning.
He would preach the message in confidence and deliver the whole loaf no matter the size of the audience.Reverend Larry Stegall is a great example for all of us. Brother Stegall, as he was affectionately called in East Texas, finished well. He started his preaching ministry in 1972. During this last year, Brother Stegall had some health issues that created a need to step down from the pulpit. He was to preach his last sermon at the First Christian Church in Timpson, Texas. Timpson sits in deep East Texas, located near Center. People around here are familiar with the old ballad that spoke of the train stations along the railroad line known as Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair.
My good friend and Links Players board member, Gene Aube, and his wife attended this last service for Reverend Stegall. Timpson is the town where Gene’s wife, Renee, grew up, and they still return frequently to be with family. Many members of the family and also Reverend Stegall’s family were in attendance. The usual congregation grew from about 20 to 40 to hear this last sermon.
Well, he preached strong and delivered the message well that Sunday. When he preached, you really felt like your roots had been watered. He would preach the message in confidence and deliver the whole loaf no matter the size of the audience. This sermon, entitled “What’s in Your Heart?,” was no exception. He finished strong and told the audience, “Now you all go over the Fellowship Hall and have some food and fellowship. I will be there when I get there!”
Gene went forward and hugged Brother Stegall on a job well done. He told him, “Well, you really convicted me with your last message.” His response was, “I was preaching to myself as well.” He then said, “I don’t feel very well.” He sat down in a chair behind the podium. He could not catch his breath. And then God took him Home right there in the church. There was a lot of sadness in Timpson and a lot of rejoicing in heaven at that very moment. Reverend Stegall’s wife said, “He fell out of the chair and into the arms of Jesus.” That, my friends, is finishing well.
May I suggest three more minutes of reflecting on this subject? You’ll be pleased you watched this little video about Reverend Stegall.
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Randy Wolff
November 6, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.