In Jesus, we see an example of a teacher who formed disciples with His teachings, with a conduct and morality that reflected the will of the Father.
In John 19:28-30, we see the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry. These verses remind us that He knew His mission here on Earth and the times He was living in as He worked to accomplish them. He came to Earth to fulfill the will of the Father. He did this throughout His life and up until the cross.
He lived for 33 years doing the will of the Father. For approximately 30 years, He lived in anonymity as a carpenter, son and citizen. For three years He made Himself known to people as the promised Messiah.
While on the cross, some of His last words were: “It is finished!” (John 19:30, NKJV). When He uttered these words, He was making it known that the prophecies regarding His person and ministry had been fulfilled. He had finished all the work He had been assigned to here on Earth by the Father.
Jesus’ life left us a lesson, as disciples of Him and as ministers of the Word. He could make disciples that would give testimony about the resurrected Messiah because He finished all the Father placed in His hands to do.
Jesus didn’t just teach His disciples about Himself as the Son of God who was focused on preaching and teaching Christian doctrine. He also taught with His entire person, His humanity, without sin. He left behind a life example for us to pursue commitment to our fellow man, our family, friends and the government.
This is a challenge primarily for those of us who have ministerial responsibilities and who lead people. If we are alive today, it’s not only to fulfill a ministry task within the congregation; we are alive to fulfill “everything” God has placed under our responsibility.
A few weeks ago, we were able to enjoy a few days of rest with family, far from the city and our commitments. During that time, I understood that that rest and my family were also part of God’s plan for my life.
There is no point in achieving our ministry goals and personal successes if we leave unresolved matters in our lives. Our disciples will be watching not only the sermons we preach or the reflections we write, but rather how we conduct ourselves in all areas of our personal lives.
As true disciples of Jesus, we are called to form others in the character of Christ and to be able to declare at a certain moment of our lives: “It is finished in me.”
The apostle Paul said something similar when he wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” From this we can understand that he left nothing unresolved in his life, or anything unfinished or halfway done. Paul would have been able to say “mission accomplished,” just as Christ could have.
Our intentions should be to fulfill God’s will in every area of our lives—that means in our lives as spouses, children, citizens, professionals and, without a doubt, as servant-leaders led by our great Teacher.
Prayer Points
- Pray for discernment to see if you have an unattended area—or an area at risk of being unattended—in your personal life.
- Ask the Lord to help you satisfactorily fulfill every assumed commitment with family, work, friendships, etc.
- Give thanks to God in prayer for the opportunity to impact other people’s lives as you follow Jesus’ example.
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