A Strong Finish - Solomon

In Solomon’s old age, [his wives and concubines] turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the LORD his God, as his father, David, had been.

1 Kings 11:4

Most professional football scouts saw Terry Bradshaw, a senior quarterback at Louisiana Tech, as a “can’t miss” prospect. The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed and selected him with the first pick of the 1970 NFL draft.

Before Bradshaw finished his rookie season, Steelers fans must have wondered if their team had made a huge mistake. He threw six touchdown passes and twenty-four interceptions while completing less than 40 percent of his passes—all terrible numbers even for a first-year player.

After a two-year adjustment, Bradshaw came into his own and led the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships in six years, earning two MVP awards along the way. Terry Bradshaw began slowly, but he finished strongly enough to earn a spot in the pro-football Hall of Fame.

The Bible teaches the importance of finishing strong in the life of faith. It also includes the story of Solomon, who did great things for God and Israel before finishing his life with a thud.

Solomon was the proverbial riddle wrapped up in an enigma. The Bible refers to him as the wisest man who ever lived, but he turned away from God and toward pagan idols, which led to the loss of everything he had accomplished (see 1 Kings 11:11-13).

All of this happened although God had appeared to him twice and blessed him in every conceivable way.

God had continually urged, warned, encouraged, and prodded Solomon to follow and obey him. He even promised him a long, prosperous life and greater blessings if he did so. In the end, Solomon’s poor choices tainted his service and led to big problems for the kingdom of Israel.

It’s great to get off to a good start in your life of faith. It is far more important that you persevere and focus on the eternal prize God has for those who finish strong (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-25).