Katie Moser, Director of Recreation
I constantly ask myself what it takes to finish well with “long obedience.” Who doesn’t want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21)? These days, however, it seems like finishing well is harder and harder to accomplish. In a world where it has become a sad reality to see leaders and pastors fall, I’ve been challenged to look at my own life and consider what it will take to be obedient and faithful long term.
It may sound simple, but I’m convinced it takes daily obedience to a personal relationship with the Father and consistent confession to finish well. These are two disciplines that I have found to be most crucial in my life.
To maintain a personal relationship with my Father, prayer and Scripture intake are non-negotiables. In these moments with the Lord, my relationship thrives, grows, and matures. It can be easy to replace these spiritual disciplines with work that is for a “calling.” But I must not confuse time spent in relationship with the Lord with time spent serving others. Don’t get me wrong; a ministry calling is a beautiful gift from the Lord. However, I don’t want to be too busy chasing a calling that I miss out on the relationship that matters most.
My heart must first be His, and then my work will follow.
The second crucial discipline is consistent confession. The word “confession” makes us shake a little, but through confession, the Lord creates in us a pure and clean heart (Psalm 51:10). Confessing sin is ugly and gross, and it hurts. It digs into the darkest part of our hearts and shines light onto the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1). Darkness doesn’t stand a chance against light, nor does our sin when we bring it into the open.
In addition to confessing to my Father, I have a few people in my life with whom I can honestly and openly confess. They have an open invitation to speak truth into my life, no matter how difficult it is to hear. I’ve found that sin and darkness immediately begin to lose their grip and power over me when I confess out loud to the Lord and to others. Don’t underestimate the power of open and honest confession.
I can say without a doubt that these disciplines of daily obedience and personal confession weaken the power of sin in my life and keep me rooted in truth. Finishing well is simply the result of long-term obedience to my daily disciplines.
Learn how to practice spiritual disciplines in your own life by visiting bellevue.org/discipleship.