“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” (1 Corinthians 9:24 KJV)
The end… Have you ever been running along wondering how much longer until the finish line? Not only during the race, but maybe before you even start it too. We struggle with counting the cost or deciding if we want to participate if we do not understand where both the starting line and the finish line are. A lunch meeting can be more appealing than a dinner meeting simply because lunch has a defined completion time where after dinner activities could lead to who knows where. The project manager uses an estimated completion to determine scope, budget, staff, and other resources. The athlete adjusts his pace based on the total and remaining distance. Governments want to know how far a problem is likely to reach so they can craft adequate legislation. Knowing where the end of something is is likely to be at least as important as where and when something begins.
What if the end is eternal? Not necessarily eternally wondering where the end is, but an everlasting God who brings about an end to so many things. Things always in the present so that He might create a completely new beginning. The race is not run inside time so much as it is run from our management of something to our letting go of it. It is not how long we can endure and the strength we can build from that endurance, but in letting Him show us how it ought to be done and running in a measureless strength that He replenishes daily. Jesus is both the beginning and the end (see Revelation 22:13). Not just capable of creating time and mothballing it. Actually the point at which a new creation can start and old ways are no longer necessary. When we accept Jesus we are not merely adding the newness that He gives us; we also allow Him to make an end to that which is bent.
We may often wonder when the end of all times will come. When God will make an end to this or that. There are days appointed for the conclusion of an evil age. Yet today when we walk with Jesus each day something ends and something begins. The longer you walk with Him the more of those things you can count. There is a timelessness to the race in that He, His word, and His ways are always the finish line. His Spirit hovers over us calling us out of the void that we are in that He might bring forth light, life, and form a new creation. He makes possible a beginning that we could never foresee. He concludes that which we cannot stop. If there is a worm that will never die, then let Jesus bring an end today while one is available. The concept of time will have long been forgotten if you search anywhere else while the worm lives on.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)