How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life
Most of us know more about the Christian life than we are actually living. We know we should forgive, serve, love difficult people, and put God first. The problem is not a lack of information. The problem is traction. Faith was never meant to be something we simply believe in. Faith was meant to be something we do with what we believe in.
Why Finishing Well Doesn't Happen by Accident
There comes a point in every person's life when the questions shift. Not "how much can I accomplish?" but "what will my life amount to?" Not "how long will I live?" but "how can I live more for Jesus?"
Finishing well does not happen by drifting. You do not accidentally become the man or woman God wants you to be. It happens through a choice at a time, a day at a time, an act of obedience at a time.
Whether you are 25 or 55 or 85, this truth remains the same: you cannot change your past, but by the grace of God, you can change your future.
What Does the Story of Thomas Teach Us About Doubt and Faith?
In John chapter 20, something shocking unfolds. Everyone who was closest to Jesus did not believe He had risen, even though He had told them it would happen. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to pay respects to a dead Jesus. Peter and John were hiding behind locked doors, afraid they were next on the list.
That same Sunday evening, Jesus appeared in the locked room. He showed them His wounds and even ate a piece of broiled fish to prove He was not a ghost. But one person was missing.
"One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he replied, 'I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.'" - John 20:24-25
Thomas did not reject the idea outright. He left a crack in the door. He said, in effect, I need a personal experience. And that kind of raw honesty is something God welcomes from us.
What Happens When We Stay in Self-Pity Too Long
Thomas missed the moment and he pouted. He knew his friends would never lie to him about something like the resurrection. But rather than believe and rejoice, he chose to pout and doubt.
That is what happens when we hold onto self-pity too long. We move from sadness to madness. We turn momentary regret into constant faithlessness. A temporary campsite of sorrow becomes a permanent home of giving up.
Many people reach a season of life, whether through retirement, a career plateau, or a personal loss, and quietly wonder if their best days are behind them. That feeling is real. But it does not deserve the priority position we are tempted to give it.
How Jesus Responds to Our Doubt
Eight days later, Jesus returned. This time Thomas was there. And Jesus came specifically for Him.
"Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. 'Peace be with you,' he said. Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe.'" - John 20:26-27
Notice what Jesus did first. He greeted everyone in the room before turning to Thomas. He did not overlook people on His way to address one person. That is worth paying attention to.
Then He turned to Thomas and gave him exactly what he needed. Not a lecture. Not a rebuke. An invitation to see and touch and believe.
From Pouting to Doubting to Shouting
Thomas responded with one of the most powerful declarations in all of Scripture.
"Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'" - John 20:28
Thomas moved from pouting to doubting to shouting. When we make that declaration from the heart, it changes everything about our future. It moves us from just existing to really living.
History tells us that Thomas eventually traveled to India, where a large Christian population along the southwestern coast traces its faith back through His mission work. There is also evidence he traveled briefly to China, introducing the message of Jesus there for the first time. He was ultimately killed for his faith. That is what making the rest of your life the best of your life can look like.
Five Keys for Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life
These are not just ideas. They are decisions, commitments that can reshape your daily life from the inside out.
1. Decide to Be Christ's Witness in Your World
Your life is meant to be on mission. Jesus was clear about this.
"As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." - John 20:21
If you will pray and ask God to open doors for you to share the love of Jesus with someone, it will blow your mind how many doors open. You do not have to argue or debate. You answer questions. You tell people how much Jesus loves them.
2. Decide to Be Woven Into Christ's Church
"He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" - John 20:22
Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to them, together. He desperately wants you connected to others in His church. Baptism marks that connection. It is a picture of leaving behind life without Jesus, without the Holy Spirit, and without the support of brothers and sisters in Christ.
3. Decide to Welcome Others Into Life in Christ
"If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." - John 20:23
Our job is not to judge people. Our job is to welcome them. We invite people to come and see what Jesus is about, regardless of what they look like, where they come from, or what they have done. You never know how God will use even the smallest act of service to change a life.
4. Decide to Grow in Wisdom Through God's Word
God accepts us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us where He found us. He calls us to grow up, and growing up means growing in wisdom.
"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." - James 1:5
Jesus used the moment with Thomas to grow Him. When Thomas heard Jesus speak and was invited to touch His wounds, something shifted. Wisdom and reverence for the Lord arrived together.
5. Decide to Prioritize Worship of the Lord
Worship is when we magnify the Lord. It is when we doubt our doubts, believe our beliefs, and shout our faith. Gathering together with other believers on Sundays matters deeply and should never be treated as optional.
But worship is also the daily posture of making Jesus the Lord of your life, the One who calls the shots, the CEO of your life. It is declaring, from the heart, "My Lord and my God."
The Twin Inside All of Us
Thomas was nicknamed "the Twin." Whether or not he had a literal twin, there is something in that name that speaks to all of us. Inside each of us lives a twin, the version of ourselves that does not always believe, does not always act right, and sometimes gets pouty.
Paul described it this way: "I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." - Romans 7:15
There is only one answer to that twin. Whenever he or she shows up, you shut them down. You listen to the voice of Jesus saying, "Don't be faithless any longer. Believe." And then you shout, as Thomas did, "My Lord and my God."
Life Application
This week, identify which of the five commitments you most need to make. Is it stepping out as a witness? Getting more connected to your church? Welcoming someone who feels far from God? Opening the Word daily? Or simply choosing to worship, even when life feels flat?
Pick one. Make a decision. Take one concrete step toward it before the week is over.
Ask yourself:
Where in my life have I been pouting or doubting instead of believing that God still has something for me?
Which of the five commitments is the one I have been avoiding, and what would it look like to take one step toward it this week?
Am I giving my "twin," the doubting, self-pitying version of myself, more authority in my life than I give to Jesus?
What would it look like for me to genuinely declare, "My Lord and my God," not just as words, but as a daily posture?
The rest of your life can be the best of your life. Not by accident. By decision. The invitation is right in front of you, and it comes from Jesus Himself.
