Becoming saved isn’t just about avoiding hell, and it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Being a follower of Christ is more than being able to say we’re going to Heaven. When we become saved, it doesn’t mean that we’re then going to live a perfect life. Giving our lives to Jesus Christ is an acknowledgment that we’re imperfect, that we need Him, and that we desire to become more like our Lord and Savior. We understand that the only way to accomplish that is by surrendering to Him. And surrender isn’t something we do once, and we’re done; it’s something we continue to do as we learn to follow Christ. Salvation changes us, but the journey doesn’t stop there. We have a life to live, a faith to walk out, and a race to finish.
Acts 17:28 (NLT) says, “For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, everything about our lives begins to shift. As pleasing God becomes more important to us, we start seeing our surroundings differently. People we used to be close to may not understand us anymore, and places we used to enjoy can start feeling uncomfortable. Thoughts, conversations, and behaviors we once considered normal can begin to bother us. It’s not always because everybody around us suddenly changed. Sometimes, God is changing us. And when He changes what’s happening on the inside, it changes how we see what’s happening around us.
Finishing faithfully is the goal of a heart that is true to Christ, but sometimes we not only forget the importance of this journey with Him, we forget where we were when we started it. We become distracted by all the things the world offers, and sometimes, we risk losing our footing. In life, there’s a cost to everything. We don’t gain anything from trying to take the easy paths. We have to remind ourselves that our Lord and Savior is worth it. He’s worth the oppression, the trials and tribulations, the falling down and getting back up, the moments of doubt, the sadness, the rejection, and the opposition. None of it feels good while we’re going through it. We have to be real about that. There will be times when following Christ gets uncomfortable, and there may be moments when we wonder if we can keep going. But 1 Peter 4:13 (NLT) says, “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” There is purpose in staying with Christ when it would be easier to walk away.
Jesus Christ is the blueprint. He is the reason we are here—to have fellowship with God and to be His ambassadors in this world. Our lives should point people back to Him. Not because we have everything together, but because they can see what happens when an imperfect person keeps surrendering to a perfect Savior. Jesus said in John 15:5 (NLT), “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” That word remain matters. We don’t just need Christ when life falls apart. We need Him when life is good, when we’re confused, when we’re tired, when we’re tempted, and when we’re trying to figure out what comes next.
At the end of this life, I don’t want to simply say that I believed in Jesus. I want my life to show that I followed Him. I want to finish faithfully. I want to keep going when it’s hard, get back up when I fall, and keep my heart surrendered when I don’t understand what God is doing. We may not know everything that will happen along the way, but we know Who we belong to. And that has to be enough to keep us moving. We began this journey with Jesus Christ, and we want to finish it with Him. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Finish Faithfully”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
