I have a silly recurring dream from time to time. The storyline is this: The college registrar at my undergrad alma mater is looking for me, seeking to inform me that I'm still a class or two short of graduation.

It wasn't finished. I hadn't finished my degree. How unsettling!

That dream is a lot like real life. Each given day seems to be filled with incompletes -- things not finished, yet to be done, to be perfected. Life's finish lines are sometimes hard to see, hard to get to, hard to cross.

Perhaps that's why sports seem so attractive, especially track and cross country. They're built around finish lines.

Still, just because you have a finish line, it doesn't mean you'll cross it … or cross it with satisfaction.

In steps Jesus. His three-word closing, "It is finished," was epic. It changed the world. What He finished wasn't just for Himself. It was for all of us.

He left no doubt about sins canceled, forgiveness extended, righteousness achieved, redemption won. His peace of mind becomes ours too.

His obedience becomes our freedom. His finish-line death becomes our life. His finish-line victory becomes our crown.

Here are a few personal applications:

FINISH WHAT YOU START. Eliminate incompletes. Begin with the end in mind. Fulfill your mission.

FINISH WELL. Go out like a champ. Max out. Burn bright. Finish with dignity. Finish so that others can follow well. Put a finishing touch on the work you do.

FINISH LIKE JESUS. Live for others, die for others. Live for the One who died for you.

A prayer to consider: Jesus, I celebrate and honor Your finished work on Calvary. Nothing about my salvation is now left in doubt. You satisfied God's wrath. Help me finish what I start, to finish well and finish like You in every way. Amen.