IT IS FINISHED

Can any true believer remember these words and not associate them with our Lord? It was that last utterance he made on the cross before dying. I wouldn’t pretend to know what our Lord was thinking when he said it, but I can appreciate that it meant he had fulfilled his purpose in this life. In the middle of all his pain and death biting as his body, he had the awareness he had done what had been his destiny. There was no uncertainty, no question about the future. He had the awareness that the “it” of his human life was finished.

For most of us I’m not sure we have that same point we reach. We normally don’t know when we are going to die and we may not even be truly clear on the “it” part of our life. (I can say for sure we can rule out savior though. The position was filled praise God!)

Finding the peace and strength when we don’t know the “it” of our spiritual life can be to say the least a challenge. It gets even harder if we are not called to some service that is clear and defined. To sit in the pews, serve quietly without fanfare and try to be faithful over all the aspects of one’s life may not have that quality of knowing when it is finished.

Ultimately we know finished in terms of this life may not be the one thing we will understand till we stand before our lord. Hopefully at the judgment seat of Christ we did reach the point of finished and didn’t halt before then having failed to do whatever we were lead to do by the Lord.

What I do understand is that the eyes of Heaven our upon us. They see everything we do. We have no way of knowing what eternal ramifications there are to every act and opportunity in our life. Obedience is that action of being willing to do rather than just talk. It is to be faithful when we are alone as well as when we have an audience.

How often we seem to crave reward. We seek comfort and approval for anything we do. Yet in the panorama of lives unfolded in the scriptures we see the times that the writer lets us see what others didn’t see. Our eyes have a chance to see the drama of faith as it was practice by some who are now made famous in God’s word, but at the time nobody knew of their deeds.

Who can say if there are more pages being added to God’s word in heaven. Will that eternal library of faith include our offerings? I have no idea. It is hardly the reason to be obedient instead of out of love. But I do feel when God lifts the veil of uncertainty and confusion so we can see his will for our life he also grants us the heart and passion to keep trusting despite the accolades.

Our lord died on the cross. It wasn’t a place of praise. And it was finished with death. Yet in eternity he will forever be glorified and praise. We will never be deserving of that kind of worship, but we can rejoice and knowing in due season the silence of our spiritual ardor will not be left without a period to complete the story. May it be one attached to a well done instead of a lack of faith.