Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

May I, as I draw closer to the end of my earthly life,
Be a man who loves Your Church more than I ever have,
A man who prays for Your Church and Your leaders in the church,
A man who shows his commitment to Your bride in all that I do.

Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

May I be a man of greater moral purity,
So indwelled in Your Word and in prayer,
That I am able to resist the temptations of the enemy,
That my life shines as an example for You to the watching world.

Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

May I be a man who loves my family more with each passing day,
A man more in love and dedicated to his wife,
A man who loves his adult children even more than I did when they were younger,
And a man who loves his grandchildren and generation to come.

Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

May I be a man who loves others more as I grow older,
A man who is less judgmental and more giving of grace,
A man who realizes that the plank in my own eye is large,
And that I should forgive even as You forgive me.

Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

May my life have greater joy with each day.
May I see the blessings of life and count them daily.
May I not grow older and more bitter,
But grow older rejoicing in You always.

Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

As the day draws closer when I meet You face to face,
May I be a man who was already drawing closer to You,
A man who eagerly anticipated that day,
And a man who left behind a legacy and not regrets.

Lord, strengthen me to finish well.

And then, and only then, can I say that my life was not lived in vain.

Not that I have already reached the goal, or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I have been taken hold of it by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14, HCSB).

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Thom Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, and for 15 years prior to that led a church and denominational consulting firm. He is the author of 21 books, including his latest, "Simple Life."