Dr. Robert Clinton, a leadership professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, notes that 70 percent of Christian leaders don't finish well. He has identified six common traits of leaders who quit running the race effectively:
1. They lose their learning posture.
2. The attractiveness of their character wanes.
3. They stop living by their convictions.
4. They fail to leave behind ultimate contributions.
5. They stop walking in an awareness of their influence and destiny.
6. They lose their once vibrant relationship with God.
Have any of these self-destructive time bombs crept into your life to any degree?
Starting well is beneficial. Staying the course is critical. But if we don't finish well  that tends to be our legacy regardless of how we started or lived most of our lives.
Unlike 70 percent of leaders, Bill Bright finished well. Bill strategically invested his life in the Great Commission through Campus Crusade for Christ. In a tribute titled, "Finishing Well: A Eulogy for Bill Bright," Chuck Colson writes:
"I've known Bill for 28 years. I have never heard him speak a discouraging word. Never have I seen his vision dimmed or his ardor cooled. Never has he failed to talk about the greatness of God and reaching the world for Christ  his passion. This indomitable spirit and trust in Christ marked not only his life, but also his death. There are countless books written on how to live the Christian life, but very few about how to die the Christian death. It is in this regard that Bill Bright made another remarkable contribution, for he not only lived well  he died well."
In Paul's farewell to the leaders at the church of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-38, we get a glimpse into his heart and clearly see his desire to finish his life and ministry well: "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me  the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).
Embedded in this verse are three challenges we must meet head on right now if we really desire to finish well. Will you dare to take these challenges?
1. The challenge of surrender
Surrender: To yield to the power of another; to give or deliver up possession of (anything) upon compulsion or demand
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me …" (Acts 20:22-24).
When Paul says, "I consider my life worth nothing to me," he is not devaluing his life. He is devaluing a life lived for self  and elevating a life lived for God's purposes. No matter what hardships awaited Paul, he chose to do what God wanted him to do instead of what was easy or personally expedient. That is authentic surrender to God.
Jesus modeled the ultimate surrender to God the Father when, facing his imminent crucifixion, he prayed, "Not what I will, but what you will." It is only when we honestly and continually wave the white flag of surrender to God in our hearts that we will be able to finish this life well.
Busy in ministry does not mean surrendered to God
The unspoken assumption these days is that if someone is busy in the church  as a dedicated volunteer or as a vocational minister  then that person must be living a surrendered life to God. This is not true at all. Some of the most bitter, selfish, jaded and disgruntled people I have ever met have a lifestyle of being busy in ministry and church.
Dedication in serving God does not automatically translate into heart surrender to God. Such a busy person in the church could be driven by a myriad of misguided motivations  the most seminal being pride. And a proud person  even a proud person who is busy in the church  is the antithesis of a person who is surrendered to God (I Peter 5:5). One cannot finish well AND full of self.
Giftedness does not mean surrendered to God
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that a really gifted person is automatically surrendered to God. After all, look at how they are using that incredible gift for the kingdom! But using a gift skillfully does not mean that a person is heart-surrendered to God. Gordon MacDonald is cogent on this point when he writes that, "We must always be aware that there are great leaders who can build great organizations (including churches) on natural gifts." (from the preface to the 2003 edition of "Ordering Your Private World")
What true surrender is  and is not
True surrender is not offering God your plans for your life and asking him to sign off on your plans. (That's called American Christianity.) True surrender is offering God all of your life as a blank slate to fill in as he desires. Sound a little radical? Not if you understand the biblical requirement of surrendering your life to God:
"And he [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (II Corinthians 5:15).
A surrender contract with God
Finishing well requires us to surrender what we want for our lives so we can embrace what God wants us to do with our lives.
Is it any surprise that in 1951 Bill and Vonette Bright actually signed a contract with God to surrender everything to him. To what degree do you think a correlation exists between Bill Bright's heart surrender to God  and his finishing well?
Republished with permission from the Cadre Connection, a publication of www.cadreministries.com. Read Finishing well, part 2: Forgetting the world.
