When it comes to basketball, one of the most important parts is finishing strong. Doesn’t matter how ankle breaking your crossover is or lighting quick your first step, if you can’t finish at the basket and score it really doesn’t matter t.  The video clip here really illustrates some great finishers in basketball, both on offense and on defense. Take a look at it below...

You excited about finishing now? When you think about it this idea of finishing isn’t only for the sport of basketball but for all sports really, baseball, you even have a special type of pitcher called “the closer” who is brought in usually in the last inning or two of a game to win the game, or for our purposes “finish strong”.  But follow me if you will as this principle which is illustrated so well in athletics is even more importantly something we have got learn to apply to our lives, off the court as well. The same way we get amped watching that clip of finishers in ball, we have got to get excited about finishing for Jesus Christ!  

An example of a, “finisher”, worth noting is Samson from the bible. Now I know what your saying. “Isn’t Samson that dude who was messing around with that chick Delilah, and she ended up tricking him and getting him to lose his strength?” . Why would I use this guy as an example of a finisher? Sounds like a guy who was just after getting with the girls and eventually got what was coming to him.  Hold up though, let’s not judge to quickly, we’ll take a look at the Bible and see the whole story before we jump to conclusions.

We can find the account of Samson starts in the book of Judges Chapter 13.  We’ll start reading from verse 2:   

“At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, "I know that you are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from the enemy’s of Israel’s oppression."

                                                                                                Judges13:2-5 The Message

So we find out pretty much that Samson was going to free his people from the enemies of his country and that he was to be set apart even from before his birth. He was going to be this ultimate athlete so much so that not only was he going be on a strict training diet but even his mother who was pregnant had to be on the diet to so not to harm what God was doing. As you read on thru his life from birth you see an amazing story of a guy with amazing ability and strength used by the Lord to do great things in freeing his people from their enemies. Yet he’s not perfect, in fact he has his ups and downs, his struggles, and finally he really hits a wall when he runs into Delilah who ends up betraying him, as he tells her the secret of his strength which she informs to his enemies.  So after another night at her place, next thing he knows is that he’s weak as a normal man, shaved bald, eyes have been gouged out and he’s doing manual labor in a dungeon.

Loser right?  Not yet, see in the midst of this dungeon Samson doesn’t forget his purpose that was placed upon his life, from before birth. And he calls out to God, for forgiveness and restoration. Let’s read from the last stage of his life:

“Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to a  great party to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands."

 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,
       "Our god has delivered our enemy
       into our hands,
       the one who laid waste our land
       and multiplied our slain."

 25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.
      When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.”  

                                                            Judges 16 23-30 NIV   

You see that? Do you see what happened?  Yeah Samson had his ups and downs, he even had a really bad fall, but he called upon his God and he finished! It says he killed more of his enemies in one blow, in his dying blow then throughout his whole life! Now don’t get me wrong I’m not advocating Samson’s reckless behavior during his life or foolishness, but look how he finishes his life serving the Lord!   

An example of the ultimate finisher that ever lived is Jesus Christ, lived the perfect life, and then finished strong by going to the cross and dying for our sins, only to finish even better by raising from the grave three days later! Man that’s a finish so strong it makes Amare Stoudamire’s hardest dunk look weak! 

            Back to my man Samson, how many of us can equate with his life, yeah we’ve been up and down, maybe even hit a wall a couple of times but the game isn’t over! God still wants to use you for powerful things! Not with just your dying breath but right now whatever your age, like Karima said in our other, "Players corner" article, “Age is nothing but a number”. You’ve been thru , maybe messed, felt like giving up, you feel like your sitting in that dungeon right now just like Samson, don’t hesitate to call on the Lord to forgive you and restore your strength. Let’s go and be “finishers” for the rest of our life for Jesus Christ!

                                                            Gian Paul Gonzalez