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A good friend of mine from Lawton shares the same taste in books as me. You would often find us discussing a new book we found or giving each other advice on what to read next. As close as our reading habits were, he had one quirk I could never understand. Whenever he got a new book he would turn to the last chapter and read the last several pages. I thought this was inane behavior. Why would you want to know how it turns out before you read the book! His explanation was simple. He said that if hated to feel tense while reading a book wondering it would all turn out OK for his favorite characters. If he read the just the end, he wouldn’t know the whole story but could be enjoy the events of the book because he had some knowledge of how things would turn out.  I don’t know if I like that in pleasure reading but I am sure glad that God did something similar for us.
            You see we don’t know all the turn and pitfalls that life will throw our way. There will be many joys but also many heartbreaks and sadness. The events of our future are in many ways uncertain (James 4:13-14). Life can be very tense as we wade in a world of uncertainty. However, we do know how it can turn out for us. Those that had put on Christ know what waits for them in the end (Romans 8:1). It greatly changes how we view the trouble and crises in life if we have that knowledge.
            One of the greatest aspects of Christianity is that knowledge of eternity. That is why being faithful to the Lord should be a joy to us. As we seek to follow the will of God it gives us more confidence, even in the greatest suffering that “things will all work out in the end”. 2 Peter 1:10-11 tells us, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you”   The only way the ending can be changed is if we change it by being unfaithful. We know who holds the future and for those that remain faithful, the last chapter will be the best.
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