Finishing well with consistency

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4

The Greek word for patience is hypomon, which means perseverance and consistency, while the word for perfect is Teleios, which means completion and finishing. Perseverance is about having consistency. It is what will enable us to finish well in everything we do, especially in our Christian walk.

As Christians, we are often compared to runners or athletes in the bible who are running a race. Having trained like an athlete, I can relate to this truth personally.  I used to train like an athlete for endurance races, and one of my favorite sports is spinning, an indoor cycling sport. In this three-hour and nonstop spinning race, I signed up a 3 hour extreme ride contest and competed against all able-bodied contestants, and the criteria to win was to burn the most calories.

Prior to the race, I constantly trained for the race to find my ideal pacing as energy management is key for endurance spinning and my goal was to complete, not worrying about winning or losing, and to my amazement, I won the spinning race and burned the most calories of 2544. After my race, I gave a media interview and told the journalist that I won because I consistently ate bananas every 30 minutes and drank water every 20 minutes. I just kept my pace and rhythm until I finished. 

It is crucial to develop consistency and rhythm to grow and mature in Christian faith that helps us endure trials. There are some habits I developed for over a decade that keep my faith steady in Christ: 1) Read the bible every day 2) Go to church every Sunday 3) Have a weekly fellowship 4) Pray constantly

This is not meant to be legalistic about religious activities but rather to emphasize the importance of consistency to develop habits and routines that will help us build perseverance. As a result, we are "perfect and complete”, meaning we can finish well in our lives and all things will do , and I believe that as we establish a steady and consistent rhythm of Christian life, God will take care of all other aspects, so that we will lack nothing but have an abundant life.

Blessing prayer: May we keep a rhythm of spiritual pursuit, hungering for your Word, longing for corporate worship and fellowship with others, and praying without ceasing to run our race and finish well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.