John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I referenced this yesterday, knowing it was coming in today’s reading, but it is important enough that I want to write on it further. “Finished” isn’t a bad word for the translation here, but I prefer the Japanese, which says, “completed.” Analyzing the characters used to write it, that could be rendered as “perfectly ended.” The point is, Jesus didn’t leave this life until He fulfilled everything for which He was sent. He even went to the trouble of asking for the sour wine, so as to fulfill Psalm 69:21. He left nothing undone. That is an impossibly perfect example for us to follow, but it is certainly something to which we should aspire. None of us is here by accident; we all have things to do, which God has prepared for us. (Ephesians 2:10) Of course, the most important of those things is coming into right relationship with our Creator, by repentance and faith, but given that, there are many other things on God’s agenda for us. The younger a person is, the less they are aware of this, and especially, that there is a deadline. This is one time when that expression is spot on! At the same time, the devil often tries to tell us that it’s too late to do things God intends for us. Occasionally that is true, but we have the example of Moses, who didn’t even start leading the Israelites until he was 80! Every one of us needs to ask the Lord what His plans are for us, and then commit and submit ourselves fully to Him for the completion of those plans. They might be simple indeed, or they might be complicated. They might echo in history, or be completely overlooked by others. The point is, we are to do God’s work for us, not what we dream up for ourselves. He might reveal His plans to us in dreams, so this can sometimes get tricky, but the point is to trust Him and follow, knowing that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

This is more and more sharply in my awareness, since I am 75 and have just retired from secular teaching. Various things are changing about this church, and it is exciting to see. I feel I will soon be much freer to travel, and I don’t know where the Lord is going to take me. In the meantime, there are countless “little” things that are to be taken care of right now. They might look little to me, but I have no idea how big they might be in God’s plans. The point for me is faithfulness in every detail, but not from a yoke of legalism. I am to walk in the liberty of the Spirit, (2 Corinthians 3:17) rejoicing to be a child of God who happens to have a white beard!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the people You are bringing to this church. May we fit together according to Your plan, so that Your will may be done for the salvation of many, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!