“We need mentors to help us refocus on the right priorities.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 4, 2026
So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Esther 7:10
Some people finish well. Others don’t. Why? It comes down to choices. The choices you make today determine how you finish tomorrow. You can live in very difficult circumstances yet still make wise choices. If so, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll finish well. You can live in the best conditions yet make unwise choices. In that case, the chances are you won’t finish well. Does finishing well mean having no regrets? No. God isn’t looking for perfection. He desires passion for Himself and obedience to His Word. People who don’t finish well take control and miss abiding as a beloved child of their heavenly Father. They miss what Gerald Manley Hopkins, poetically unfolds in Pied Beauty, “He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change: Praise him.” Present tense, you are being fathered now, right now, by your unchanging, beautiful Abba.
Consider Haman. He lived in the best of conditions: wealth, power, influence, and proximity to the king. Yet his choices were driven by pride, revenge, and control. He couldn’t tolerate Mordecai’s refusal to bow, so he plotted genocide against an entire people. He built gallows to execute Mordecai, convinced his plan was foolproof. Haman didn’t finish well because he refused to surrender control to God. He made himself the center of his own story, crafting elaborate schemes to eliminate anyone who threatened his ego. His pride became his downfall. The very gallows he built for Mordecai’s death became the instrument of his own execution. Haman’s story warns us: favorable circumstances don’t guarantee finishing well. Unwise choices rooted in pride, revenge, and self-elevation lead to tragic endings. He had everything the world values: prestige and power, yet he lost everything because he refused to humble himself.
The Bible describes finishing well as a lifelong race, a marathon. Jesus is at the finish line, and as you run, an eternal entourage of those who’ve been faithful before you surrounds you. Your Savior and His saints are praying for you and encouraging you to finish well. This is His will. Don’t lose heart or become proud. Keep your focus on the ultimate destination: the prize of Christ’s commendation awaiting you. Along life’s race, you’ll encounter difficulty. You’ll tire and need rest. You’ll have stretches of road where you run alone and feel like quitting. Other times, the race will feel like an uphill battle, with every muscle in your body screaming for attention. Thankfully, there are times of refreshment and rejuvenation. After you’ve run up a hill of hope, there’s an opportunity to enjoy the righteous run down the other side. Some roads dead-end; you need to regroup and study the map (Scripture) and listen silently (Prayer) to discern God’s will.
Finishing well thrives in God’s presence. Intimacy with Him positions you to hear His voice and obey Him. You want to please the one you love. Haman lacked this intimacy. He never consulted God, never surrendered his plans, or humbled himself. He acted entirely out of human ambition and wounded pride. Without God’s presence to guide his choices, he spiraled toward destruction. And what about those who love you? Accountability from those who love you most helps you finish well. Listen intently to those who have your best interests at heart, who are finishing well themselves. Love is the best form of accountability; we don’t want to let down those we love.
What does it mean to you to finish well? Are you finishing well today? Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Throw off the sin that entangles, and run the race marked out for you with perseverance. Listen to godly counsel. Stay intimate with God, live Spirit-led. Don’t be like Haman hanging on the gallows of your own pride. Your life invested in the Kingdom makes your Savior smile and say,
“Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Prayer
Father, help me run this race with perseverance, eyes fixed on Jesus. May my choices today honor You. Guard me from pride’s gallows. Empower me to finish well, so You smile and say, “Well done.” In Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
What may be holding you back from finishing well?
Related Reading
Ecclesiastes 7:8; Matthew 24:13; Acts 20:24; Philippians 1:6
Worship Resource
Sons of Sunday: One More Day
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