To finish His work

John 4:34

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

This has been one of the most meaningful verses in my life. It encompasses and encapsulates the drive and goal and vision and thrust of my life and ministry. For note carefully, please! What was the very purpose and thrust of the ministry that Jesus had on this earth? What is not one thing? Was it not simply to do the will of Him that sent Him? He was not on a self-proclaimed mission. He was not in the ministry to accomplish something that He fabricated and conjured up. He was here to obey His Father, and to finish His work. Finish His work! Is this not the same commandment that we have? To finish the work which He gave us to do. Christ finished it on the cross. And in that great prayer in John 17, He said, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.” And on the cross, “It is finished.” He finished it! He did not leave this world until He had finished it. He finished the work of His Father, and that was the only reason that He came.

What is your meat? What is your purpose? What is the impetus of your life? What is the incentive, the objective, the pinnacle of your dreams? If it is any other objective than the one Christ had, it is a lesser objective. But if your goal in life is only to obey Christ and finish the work He gave you to do, then you are doing the will of God. Jesus said to His disciples, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” You are sent! He has placed you in this world for an express purpose. And perhaps I am speaking mainly of myself and to myself, hoping that someone will eavesdrop on the conversation and derive some edification from these words. For I have one objective, and I must keep my mind upon the goal, resisting the ever-present urge to be distracted by unimportant and lesser deviations. I must keep my mind on the prize! The beloved apostle Paul reminds us to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

I ask you now, are you thus minded? Are you minded to finish the work God has given you to do? Is that your meat? Is that the substance of your life? Is that the greatest component of your existence? Is there anything more important to you? There shouldn’t be! If you are a child of God, you have a mission, because Christ did not save you to float around haphazardly and randomly. He did not intend that we be directionless. We must follow the mission we have been given, and by His grace, we must finish His work!

“Now Father, you have stirred our hearts this morning concerning the mission and calling placed upon us. You have reminded us that we are here for a very distinct purpose. May our lives not be wasted on trivialities, distractions, and deviations from what is truly the most important thing—the meat that we are to eat! The very centerpiece around which all should be arranged! Oh, Lord, may our eyes be upon that one prize—finishing the work you have given us. And that in itself will serve as the prize if there were no other rewards given. But we know that there is a reward to the faithful. Keep us faithful in your work, never distracted from what you have placed before us to accomplish. May we do your will, and may we finish it. And we shall praise you for it. In Christ Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”