The
end of a thing is better than its beginning;” Ecclesiastes 7:8 “
As I reflected on the end of the year 2016, I thought of
Solomon’s words. Now I know some would
like to say that a proper translation of that verse is that the end of a sermon
is better than its beginning and while I am not sure that is sound translation,
I can’t disagree with the point. I have
also preached a few sermons in which I was simply glad to make it to the end.
But even more than in sermons, this point can be seen in life.
Maybe you traveled over the Christmas holidays. If so, you
know that the end of a trip is infinitely better than the beginning. It always
feels so good to come back home and know that all the hours in the car are
behind me. Imagine a ship that leaves
for a far port. When it returns with all
its cargo, the captain knows just what storms they weathered in the trip. He remembers nearly running aground or being
swamped. He recalls the three nights
they spent without ever seeing the stars and three days without the sun. For him, the end of the voyage is clearly
better than the beginning.
Or perhaps, we should think of a soldier, going off to
war. Is not the end of a thing better
than the beginning for that soldier? How
he longs to complete his tour and be safely home! This point is obviously true in so many
instances in life but it is not absolutely true. It must be taken with a grain
of salt. Some people look at the beginning
and ask, “Will the end really be any better?”
Maybe you know the storms of 2016 and you are afraid of what
the storms of 2017 will bring. Will I be
able to bear up under them? Will I have
less or more at the end of the year? How
will my family be affected this year?
Yet, Solomon says, no matter how bad the beginning is, the end is always
better.
In our growth as believers, most Christians have more trials
early in their Christian walk rather than late.
And all of us are growing in our Christian walk. Lamentations 3:27 “It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.” If you wake up in the morning and the sun
is behind the clouds, you don’t assume that the sun will never shine
again. And, if you are in a dark period
of your life, don’t despair, the sun will shine again.
Take this verse from The Message as a
prophecy to give you hope and dispel your fears: I
know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not
abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11)
The end of the matter will be better than the beginning. God
is still in charge. The past is
history, the future’s a mystery, but God has given us this moment, that’s why
it’s called the present. It is in this
time that God will move us toward that end that He has promised. So let’s keep our eyes on the prize and move
into this year with the understanding that God has a plan and a purpose for
today and our future.
Scripture to Claim:
Yet
those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with
wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not
become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)
