A finisher mindset ∙∙

A finisher mindset ∙∙

I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Philippians 1:6

Luke 14:28-30

28 But don’t begin until you count the cost. Who would start building construction without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.

30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

How often do we set ambitious goals only to leave them unaccomplished? It’s common to start strong with high aspirations but falter before reaching the finish line. Dreaming big is easy, but following through is where the real challenge lies. Cultivating the mindset of a finisher isn’t something that comes naturally to most. Yet, possessing a finisher mindset empowers you to stick with what you start and see it through to the end.

There are practical ways to nurture this mindset. Start by clearly defining your ultimate goal. Know what you’re aiming for. Then, break it down into smaller, bite-sized tasks. When each step feels manageable, progress becomes achievable. Trying to tackle everything at once can overwhelm even the most determined individual, often resulting in procrastination or giving up entirely.

Interestingly, most finishers don’t begin with grandiose gestures—they start small. The paradox lies in the simplicity, but simplicity works.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lao Tzu).

This is how the Father works in the lives His children. He has an ultimate goal for each of us, a perfect plan for our growth and purpose. Step by step, He moves us closer to that goal, patiently and faithfully shaping our lives. And He has promised to continue His work until it reaches completion. The Father is the ultimate finisher. What He begins, He sees through to the end.

Understanding who the Father is—His character, His unwavering faithfulness—can fill us with steadfast confidence and trust. When He promises to act in our lives, we can rest assured that He will accomplish what He has set out to do. This settled confidence fuels excitement for what’s to come, which in turn blossoms into joy.

But what happens when confidence and hope are missing? Without them, life turns into a monotonous grind, often weighed down by despair and hopelessness. Garland asserts, “The opposite of joy is not gloom but despair, the incapacity to trust in any new and good future. Paul rejoices because he is ‘confident’ of what God’s future holds.”

The call to cultivate a finisher mindset echoes both in our personal goals and in our spiritual journeys. When we trust that the Father is steadfastly finishing the work He began in us, we are incentivized to mirror that in our own lives, starting small, taking one step at a time, and moving forward with confidence.

REFLECT & PRAY

We all desire someone we can trust completely—someone who genuinely has our best interests at heart. Some of us are truly blessed to have already found that person.

Father, I thank You for the incredible gift of redemption You’ve begun in my heart. Thank You for Your promise to finish what You started.

INSIGHT

When the gospel is heard, embraced, and truly understood, it has the power to transform everything. Initially, as spiritual newborns, our understanding of the Father and His ways is limited. But then, we begin to experience His gentle presence—His loving touch and the caress of His loving hands remind us how deeply valued we are by Him. The warmth of His care wraps around us, filling us with a sense of belonging and tenderness. This is where the bond begins, the start of a lifelong relationship with the One who calls us His own. Over time, as we grow in this relationship, we come to see more clearly the depth of His love and the beauty of His ways.

The Father does not merely call us His children. Instead, we lowercase His children when He adopted us into His Forever Family.

What begins in time carries forward into eternity. The Philippians, having accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, entered into a sacred “fellowship of the gospel” (Hughes). The Father’s work in their lives was not a mere momentary act but the start of a process that will reach its magnificent fulfillment when Christ returns.

Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians not from a place of comfort but from a prison in Rome, with the shadow of death looming near. Yet, astonishingly, his words radiate joy. How was this possible? The answer lies in Paul’s unwavering perspective and unshakable focus.

Despite challenging conditions, Paul trusted that the Father was fully in control and working out the unfolding of His eternal plan. Paul was confident that what God begins, He also brings to completion. This confidence wasn’t rooted in Paul’s circumstances but in the character and promises of God. Paul understood that the Father’s guidance in his life, including his mission to spread the gospel, was deliberate and intentional. Through Paul, the Philippians embarked on a spiritual journey that would take them exactly where the Father wanted them to go. The same is true of all children of the King throughout the ages.

Without divine revelation, our limited earthly perspective leaves us in the dark. Paul sheds light on this truth, sharing God’s perspective to offer clarity and hope. When we learn to see through the Father’s eyes, we find the strength to face challenges with renewed determination.

To grow in faith, we are asked to recognize the deficiencies of our limited perspective and abandon flawed thinking and inadequate understanding. Much of the old must be discarded and replaced with the new. The Father seeks that all children of the King let go of wrong thinking. Inadequate reasoning and partial truth are to be discarded. He offers a whole new way of thinking.

The Father desires transformation—a renewal of our hearts and minds. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Romans 12:2, calling the children of the King to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. Similarly, Ephesians 4:22-23 encourages us to put aside the old, sinful nature and allow the Spirit to renew our thoughts and attitudes: “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”

There is always more to explore in our walk with God than what we have seen, experienced, or known before (Stanley). Each step forward reveals more of His purposes and draws us closer to Him.

Paul captures this assurance in Philippians 1:6, writing, “I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The Father’s plans for His children were set in motion before the foundation of the world. But He burst into the space-time continuum of our lives at the moment of our salvation. He who is eternal and transcendent irrupted into history and began a new, profoundly personal work within each child of the King, promising that He will complete it.

This work of transformation doesn’t stop until we reflect the image of His Son, as stated in Romans 8:29. The Greek word translated as certain or persuaded is peitho. Peitho “signifies a confidence rooted in certainty.” In the original Greek this verbal form is a perfect participle. A Greek perfect participle that describes an action that began in the past but continues to have lasting effects.

Paul grappled with these complex issues years before. He enjoyed the remarkable privilege of having a personal and awe-inspiring encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:15-18). With his keen intellect and theological training, Paul had wrestled with hard questions and found compelling, soul-satisfying answers. This divine encounter and newfound perspective revolutionized his life, and he embraced it fully (Philippians 3:4-14). He was “all in.”

Though the path of faith is not without obstacles, setbacks need not bring utter defeat. The Father assures us of His relentless work within. He encourages us to move forward, knowing that His power sustains us until the day we see Him as He truly is (1 John 3:2). This hope fuels our perseverance and compels us to press on.

Barclay offers a beautiful vision of what is to come. “On the day when Christ comes, it will be like the coming of a King. On such a day, the King’s subjects are required to present Him with gifts to mark their loyalty and show their love. The only gift Jesus Christ desires from us is ourselves.”

And that is the gift we are called to offer—not just on that future day but today and every day as we walk in faith, trusting the One who never leaves His work unfinished.

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© Dr. H 2025