I don’t sleep well. Some might think this is a bad thing. There is good news in this. In the middle of the night, I have an amazing opportunity to spend time alone with God and the Bible. To pray. To seek Him. And to hear Him. To learn and grow. To repent and draw closer to God. To enjoy my amazingly intimate relationship with God. To not be interrupted by the cares of the day. To see what God wants to show me. Like this.
For the first time, despite having read Jesus’ long powerful prayer in John 17 so many times over the years, I saw something so incredible. And beautiful. And challenging. And convicting. And not just for me. For us all.
The Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God just before He want to the cross didn’t just pray to the Father that He had finished His work on this earth. That He had fulfilled His purpose on this earth. But He said He had fulfilled THE FATHER’S WORK FOR HIM. The work God the Father had given Him!
“I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” John 17:4 NKJV
Friend, we can go through our whole lives with a big To-Do List and check off a zillion things to fulfill our own plans for our lives. Our own plans and dreams apart from God. Our own work. Our own agendas. Our own self-appointed purpose. Or even someone else’s hopes and dreams for us. And other people’s purposes for us. Our expectations. Their expectations. Human-made purposes to satisfy human-made expectations.
Or, we can humble ourselves before God almighty, pray to Him, seek His face, read the Bible, cry out to Him to reveal to us His will, plans, work, and purpose for us, hear Him as He speaks to our hearts, learn to abide in Jesus, and seek to fulfill GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES. To finish the work GOD GIVES US.
That, friend, is my great desire. Is it yours?
Let us be totally devoted to the Lord and seek to lovingly do and finish the work God has for us on this earth. Fully committed to fulfill God’s purpose for us.
God’s purpose for all humans is to believe in, love, honor, glorify, praise, worship, obey, serve, and glorify Him through faith in and our lives committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And He has a purpose for each of us individually as well. A personal purpose. For you. For me. For us all.
Let us live and breathe to love and worship God forever and to finish the work He gives us on this earth. Amen!