It's important not to breeze over Paul's determination when he writes, "if only I may finish the race." Paul often viewed the Christian life as a race that had to be run well to the end: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize" (I Corinthians 9:24).

Paul tells us: If we are going to run, then run to win! And if you want to win a race, it is critical that you finish well.

Those who finish the race of life well — like Paul did — do so because they are intentional about it. They think about finishing well often. They hold a lucid picture in their minds about what that means.

They invest time developing a strategy to finish well. They identify and ardently avoid the major pitfalls that might keep them from it. Why all this intention about finishing well? Because finishing well is never an accident. It happens on purpose — by intentional design.

Intentionally fighting the undertow of American culture

As we bring this life in for a landing, we'd better make sure that we are intentional about avoiding the pull of the undertow of our current culture's definition of finishing well: a financial nest egg that enables us to live our remaining years focused on our comfort and ease because we "deserve it."

Jesus spoke clearly and directly about this sense of entitlement that pervades our times in The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21). After years of hard work and success, the rich fool says to himself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry" (19). Does that sound like our current thinking in America? You bet.

But look at the rest of the story: "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'" (20)

Then, only as Jesus can, he delivers the main point of the story: "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God" (21). It's not the financial nest egg that is the main problem. According to Jesus, the problem is the focus on oneself-rather than on God!

RFS syndrome in the church

"Rich Fool Syndrome" (RFS) is a classic example of how NOT to end well — and RFS is being played out in churches across North America. Christians get to retirement age and instead of retiring into the most spiritually fruitful years of their lives, they retire from both a job, and God and the church as well.

The irony is painfully poignant. The golden years are the time in life when someone in our culture typically has more discretionary income, time, and certainly a wealth of life experience. Instead of pouring these formidable life-changing blessings out on the next generation, many of our senior saints seem to be saying to themselves: "eat, drink and be merry" (Luke 12:19).

A call for a thoughtful, biblical, and personal definition of finishing well

I am not by any means suggesting that God does not want us to have time for recreation and fun. Those of you who know me personally know one of my main goals in life is to have fun. While I certainly plan on having tons of fun in my golden years, I don't want to live my last years on earth focusing on myself (I Corinthians 9:19-20).

I want to finish well in God's eyes! I want to be "rich toward God" until the very end! I want my heart's fountain to overflow into the lives of others-giving the "next generation" (Psalms 78:6-8) a drink from the well of God that bubbles up from my soul until my final breath.

I don't want to spend the last years of my precious short life consumed with seeking constant entertainment simply because I can afford it, complaining about food, the weather, the church, the government, and thinking only of me. These are the hallmarks of NOT finishing well.

Following others who finished well

I want to be like Moses, who at 80 years old, entered into the greatest season of his ministry impact.

I want to be like Billy Graham, who, at 86 years old, after battling Parkinson's disease and falling twice and breaking his pelvis in three places earlier in the year, used a walker to make his way to a pulpit so he could preach the gospel at a crusade in Los Angeles.

I want to be like my adopted spiritual mother, Byrdena Schuneman, who after being widowed in her 70s left for China as a short-term missionary — and continues to impact the world through prayer, coaching and encouragement.

I will not put myself out to the pasture of self simply because age, entitlement and affluence call me to do it. Like these senior saints, I want my golden years to be my greatest years of ministry impact for God's glory.

I want to be like 98-year-old George H. D. Reader (an adopted spiritual father who prayed a blessing on me in the city park in Chrisman, Ill.) [Read this story.]

In a recent letter to me, he wrote (in remarkably clear handwriting), "I rejoice that God touched you in the Chrisman Park. I also rejoice that God could still use me in a small way in his service."

Do you hear his heart concern to be used of God in his old age? I love that! A life lived primarily for self holds no comparison to finishing well.

Republished with permission from the Cadre Connection, a publication of www.cadreministries.com. Read part 1: Finishing well begins with true surrender. Look for the conclusion of this article, including one more challenge of finishing well, next week on ChurchCentral.com.