Thursday: Finishing Well
Daily Lesson for Thursday 25th of December 2025
Read the concluding words of the book of Joshua written by an inspired editor (Joshua 24:29-33). How are these words not only looking back to Joshua’s life but also looking forward to the future?
In the epilogue reporting on the deaths of Joshua and Eleazar, the high priest brings the book of Joshua to a sobering end. By recounting together the burial of Joshua, the burial of Eleazar, and the burial of Joseph’s bones, the author creates a contrast between the life outside the land and the beginning of life in the land. There is no need to wander anymore.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
The earthly remains of the leaders don’t have to be carried along with them. The patriarchs buried their relatives in a cave (Genesis 23:13,19; Genesis 25:9-10), on a plot purchased at Shechem (Genesis 33:19). Now the nation buries its leaders in the territory of their own inheritance, thus having a sense of permanence. The promises given to the patriarchs have been fulfilled. Yahweh’s faithfulness constitutes the historical thread that links Israel’s posterity to its present and future.
As the concluding paragraphs of the book link the whole narrative to a larger story in the past, they also open the way for the future. Ex-archbishop of Canterbury Lord George Cary, in a keynote speech delivered at Holy Trinity Church in Shrewsbury, declared that the Anglican Church was “one generation away from extinction.”
In fact, the church is always one generation away from extinction, and so it was with the Old Testament people of God. A great chapter in the history of Israel comes to an end. Its future depends on what kind of answers it will give to the many questions that concern the future. Will Israel be loyal to the Lord? Will they be able to continue the unfinished task of possessing the whole land? Will they be able to cling to Yahweh and not get entangled in idol worship? A generation under Joshua has been faithful to the Lord, but will the next generation maintain the same spiritual direction that has been traced by its great leader? Each successive generation of God’s people, reading the book of Joshua, must face these same questions. Their success depends on the nature of the answers they provide in their everyday lives and how they relate to the truths they have inherited.
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Joshua, like Paul, “fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV). What was the key to Joshua’s success? What decisions do you need to make today in order to finish with the same assurance of salvation? |
In 4 days’ time Carmel and I will celebrate 57 years of marriage. And it is not about finishing well; it’s about lasting the distance. Actually, the story begins more than 2 years earlier when we started going together with no particular aim in mind other than we liked one another. Towards the end of 1967, we became engaged in the least romantic way possible. We were travelling from Carmel’s home in North NSW back to Avondale in the overnight Brisbane Express, in a crowded dog-box carriage, when Carmel said to me that it was perhaps time we thought about getting married. So we had this little discussion about this and that and it was decided that we would formally announce our engagement at the Christmas family gathering.
However, before that could happened dark clouds gathered on the horizon like a thunder-clap. Carmel was graduating from Avondale as a primary teacher and was appointed to teach in a School in New Zealand. I had another year to go and in the middle of next year I was to sit the final BSc examinations for London University. We were going to be apart for 12 months. In those days a telephone call to NZ cost an arm and a leg. I was supporting myself through Avondale, so trips to NZ or back to Australia were not an option. We went ahead in blind faith and love and got engaged. We carried on our romance by hand-written letters for 12 months. We had 2 phone calls in that time. Carmel rang to asked me if I still loved her (I found out that one of our mutual male friends in NZ had proposed to her). And I rang her to tell me that I had passed my final BSc exams with honours.
Then, 8 days before we were due to get married, Carmel came back to Australia. She was so shy at first, she would not even hold my hand. On the day we were married we had a huge thunderstorm, and Carmel was nearly an hour late getting to the church. So on December 29, 1968. we were married. And the marriage has lasted. I could say we lived happily ever after, but that would be lying. We have had and still have our differences. Unity does not mean we agree on everything. (I drive a bright red car, so guess who won the colour battle) We have weathered a few tough times too and wear the patina of aging as gracefully and as graciously as we can.
I have told my story in some detail because I see our spiritual journey in much the same light. We did not start our marriage relationship with a highly charged emotional moment. It was more like a negotiated “we are going to give this our best shot” We made our choice and our relationship grew even when distance separated us. It is not the emotion of the moment that is important; it’s the commitment to the distance. It is a growth experience.
I was going to quote Paul’s text about fighting the good fight, but somehow I think his metaphor is inappropriate after that illustration!
Joshua’s faithful leadership left Israel with both a testimony and a responsibility. How God’s people live today influences whether those who follow will cling to the Lord or drift into compromise.
What lasts is what is chosen daily.It is built by choosing the right actions, attitudes, and commitments every day. Small, consistent choices over time create something strong and enduring.
Thank you for sharing! It sounds like Carmel was having some cold feet. I am glad she choose you! And thank you for sharing the wise words from God.
What a beautiful story and thanks for sharing it.
Happy Anniversary to you and your wife.❤️🙏🏾❤️
Great story, but I’m not quite sure who DID win the battle of the car color. My husband has chosen red cars (his choice) on a few different occasions. Was it your choice or Carmel’s. Just curious. 🙂
We have had 5 red cars. a couple of green ones, an assortment of grey/while/silver, and even a block one (We called that one the Mafia Staff car). Red has grown on me to the extend it is a mutual choice now, but I have to wash it often,
The Book of Joshua does not end in victory songs or victory speeches, but in burials (graves). The book ends with three burials; the burial of Joshua, the burial of Eleazar, son of Aaron and the burial of the bones of Joseph who had died hundreds of years back (Joshua 24:29–33). These three servants of God represent different covenant roles.
1. Joseph – He was a promise believer. “God will surely visit you and bring you up out of this land…” (Gen 50:24–25). Joseph lived in anticipation when God’s promise of the Promised Land shall be fulfilled. Sadly, he died before the promise came to pass. But ultimately his bones were buried in the Promised Land.
2.Joshua – He was the promise executor. He administered God’s covenant. He led the people into the Promised Land. Sadly, he died in the Promised Land, but God’s covenant lived on.
3. Eleazar – He was the promise mediator. As the High Priest he was the go-between God and His people. He communicated God’s will to the people. He was privileged to reach the Promised Land, as all human beings, He is resting in the grave awaiting the true consummation of God covenant with His people.
We take note of a very beautiful point: One covenant, One faithful God and many servants.The different covenant roles pinpoints to One person, Jesus Christ.
a) Jesus Christ as the final covenant Mediator
b) Jesus Christ as the true High Priest
c) Jesus Christ as the true fulfilment of the covenant.
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.” (2 Cor 1:20)
Regardless of our different roles, functions, positions and responsibilities in this life, we have one blessed destination; the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).
The Christian life is more like a marathon and less like a sprint. How you finish is more important than how you start the journey of faith. A simple survery in the bible reveals far fewer people finished well compared to the majority. While it is good to get off to a strong start, how one finishes is what ultimately defines a person. An athlete who begins the race well but stumbles along the way loses the race. However, when a runner finishes well, there is greater reward and respect. We understand that true success is not defined by creating impressive experiences, emotionally charged presentations, or rhetorical excellence, but by genuine growth in one’s relationship with God. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7 After years of victory in the war front, conquest of multiple enemies and servant leadership, Joshua avoids pointing Israel to dramatic experiences or past achievements. But instead, he calls them to continued faithfulness and true obedience, urging them to choose whom they will serve. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” — Joshua 24:15
The study of Joshua is a study on the secret of success. What are some of the laws laid down by God that if followed will ensure that we have success in terms of things like good health, successful and fulfilling career, happy marriage, etc.
1. Obey God in everything – Joshua 1:8
2. Ask for God’s miraculous intervention – Joshua 10:7-14
3. Follow God’s methods no matter how stupid – Joshua 6:2-5
4. Consult God first before doing something important -Joshua 7:2-12
5. Persevere until you see the results – Joshua 11:16-18
As human beings living on this planet, we may face various struggles in life. But if we continually ask for the knowledge of the Holy Spirit, the challenges become blessings so God can work in us and we can continue to grow and bear fruit. None is born with a complete and perfect character, and since this is our only inheritance, we should praise the Lord and thank Him for the troubles! He will never fail us! What a blessed assurance!
Saying the right words—even sincerely—does not guarantee spiritual endurance. The history of the Israelites reminds us that faith cannot survive on memories alone. Israel’s tragedy was not that they made one catastrophic decision, but that they stopped watering the garden.
Judges tells us that a generation arose who “did not know the Lord.” This was not ignorance of history—they knew the stories of deliverance—but a failure to intentionally live, model, and transmit faith. The soil was once rich, but unattended faith eventually withered.
This is why justification must never be separated from sanctification. Justification plants the garden. It is God’s gracious declaration that we are accepted through Christ alone. It anchors us in assurance, reminding us that salvation is God’s work, not ours. But a garden that is planted and never watered will not survive.
Sanctification is the daily watering. It is faith lived out—obedience, prayer, repentance, and intentional discipleship. Without sanctification, justification becomes a past event rather than a present relationship. Faith turns into something we remember instead of something we practice.
Judges shows us the danger of disconnecting the two. Israel remembered God’s saving acts but failed to cultivate a life shaped by them. The result was spiritual decline, not because God withdrew His grace, but because His people stopped responding to it.
Finishing the race requires both. Justification secures our standing; sanctification sustains our walk. One without the other leads either to complacency or exhaustion. Together, they produce a faith that endures—and a legacy that lasts beyond one generation.
May we not only plant the garden, but faithfully water it, so that those who come after us may know the Lord—not just by story, but by life.
Joshua was faithful, obedient, and fearful because he knew for certain that if he offended God, he might get killed. The key to Joshua’s success is the faith he had in God. The way forward is to have faith in God and serve Him in righteousness because He is our source of life, and He lives in every living thing in the universe. Because we are offspring of God and carry His spirit, He is the reason for our movement (Acts 17:28). I will serve God in righteousness and fear because that is the only way I could succeed in inheriting salvation in His kingdom.
1 Corinthians 13 –
Remembering God’s Love at all times to make it our own in all we do, think and say.
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
”Love never fails.”
”And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE”
Hebrew 11 –
Since the Beginning, God’s call has remained the same – remaine faithful! Commit to continue to love Him and do right by your fellow man. Disappointments, anger, resentment – all can be overcome with choosing to remain faithful to our God who has demonstrated that He is faithful and loves us.
My prayer is that we are humbled by His Love and faithfulness, grateful for our rescue and His Leadership, and desire to keep the faith strong regardless of circumstances – 1 Thessalonians 5:16:18; Phil. 4:7.
Enjoyed your story Maurice. My wife and I will also be celebrating our 57 years together in March. We started going together 3 months when my wife said we should get married, so we did 3 months later. We weren’t apart for a year like you guys were. I farmed and she went to beauty school. We had our ups and downs.She was a SDA and I a Lutheran. Now we are both SDA and happily married. It was a struggle.
Thank you so much for the comments I have learnt so many things from you.
No man speaks wisely or truthfully by his own natural ability. Nobody can claim to be wise , every word of truth that we speak wisely is a product of the Spirit of God dwelling within. Every word of truth that humans speak and the wisdom that they possess belong to God , all the glory goes back to God .
“For it is God which works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure.”( Philippians 2:13)
And this same truth is what helps us finish well.
We do not finish well by our own strength, discipline, or intelligence. We finish well because the God who begins a good work in us continues to work in us day by day. Finishing well means trusting God to sustain us, guide us, correct us, and empower us until the end. The One who gives wisdom is also the One who enables endurance.
In the end, finishing well is simply this:
letting God complete what He started in us, so that all the glory returns to Him alone.