5 Insightful Verses
The Secrets of Finishing Well
What the Bible tells us about how to put down roots and live a fulfilled life.
Bob Lonac 
Unfortunately, few people finish well. Many people live with tension and pressure between being a producer (pursuing money, goals, and life indulgences) and wanting to know God more. But the hard-hitting truth is that you can finish at the top of your game when you follow the age-old recommendations in the best-selling book of all time…the Bible.
Growing Deep Roots is an Intentional Choice
Don’t live on the fringe of knowing God and understanding His word. The following are some of the key verses that have helped me pursue a fulfilled life, along with my interpretation of them.
Let your roots go down deep.
...continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
How do you make your roots go down deep?
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
Whom should you hang out with and listen to?
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Quantity vs. Quality
In our society, quality is out, and quantity is in.
While people respond to excellence, few are willing to put in the time and patience it takes to grow. It’s a universal trend. Christians have bought into the concept that size equals godliness. The more people that come to your church, the better spiritual leader you are. Society often views individuals in a similar fashion — the more money you make, the better person you are.
More is not necessarily better. Quantity and quality don’t go hand-in-hand.
What does God want from us?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Start Small and Let Your Roots Grow
You control your own time. You run your own life. Focus, not fragmentation, is how to think about things. These verses can help.
The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
Remember, fruit is the abundance of your life, the excess. The deeper your roots grow, the more fruit your life will bear.
Recommended Reading: Spiritual Clinic by J. Oswald Sanders
As life wears on us, we go through seasons of fatigue, strain, and tension that take their toll, and we can easily fall into apathy. Oswald Sanders prescribes a powerful tonic of scriptural principles in his book, Spiritual Clinic, that lead to recovery and growth.
