UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Ever think about how many times you've started a project but didn’t finish it? Or expected someone else to complete a task that somehow never got done. So why does this happen? There are many reasons but some of the more common ones are because we think the job is too hard, something else gets in the way, we don’t think it’s important enough, we don’t like the job or we get lazy. But no matter which of the many reasons cause us not to complete the task, the result is always the same. It doesn’t get done.

This may be a tolerable, though irritating human condition, but in the most significant aspect of our being, which is our spiritual life and our relationship with God, procrastination is a devastating disorder that threatens to derail our pilgrimage of faith and obedience to the tasks God has assigned to us. And though His love for us is unconditional, His patience is long-suffering and His mercy is everlasting, our Heavenly Father rightfully expects us to do what He asks us to do. And if God asks us to do it, not only is it worth doing, it is worth doing well. And that means finishing the job.

But are we willing to commit ourselves completely to the task? Have we considered what it will take to stand firm and be consistent in our spiritual walk? Do we have what it takes to get the job done. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish." (Luke 14: 28-30) Do we have the stamina, the endurance and the desire to make it to the end? If we trust and rely on God, then the answer to this question is a resounding YES, because, “…they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40: 31) God has promised "… he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24: 13)

We just have to remember that there is no negotiation with God when it comes to our obedience. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice..." (1 Samuel 15: 22) He is the Potter and we are the clay. Of course we can desire whatever we want but we don’t get to arbitrarily choose or decline our gifts or our assignments. Just ask Jonah or Balaam or Esther. The exclusive privilege to designate the path that we travel here on this earth belongs to the Creator of the Universe and He has the sovereign right to do what He pleases, however He pleases, whenever He pleases, to whomever He pleases.

There’s an old saying that goes like this: “The road to destruction is paved with the souls of those with good intentions.”

No, this is not a quote from the Bible, but it is a very plain statement that embodies an important principle contained in scripture. And that is, good intentions are fine but what are they worth if the good that is intended is never realized? Intention without action produces nothing other than making us feel warm and fuzzy. At the very least our intentions should generate a sincere effort which would almost certainly cause a positive outcome. So check this out. Deuteronomy 28: 1 tells us that after 40 years of wilderness wandering and now ready to enter into the promised land, Moses tells the people, “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe…” In other words, if you will listen and sincerely intend to do what is being said. But then it goes on to say, “…and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day…” This means moving past intention and actually taking action. It concludes with this, “…that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth.” Just marvelous! God rewarding our demonstrated faithfulness as He promised.

God Himself proves and performs this principle of desire and result as stated in the Book of Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29: 11) God not only intends to do good, but He delivers good. And that's because He is good, all the time. And I believe we can attest to the fact that our God has continually been good to us all even though we don’t deserve it. Why? Because He loves us.

Here are a couple of scriptures that speak to this principle of not confusing desire with result: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2: 20) This tells us that faith is fine but what good is it if it never produces anything? And then there’s this: “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1: 22) The objective of hearing the Word is to do what the Word says. When it’s all said and done, if we are always intending to do good but never follow through then we are no longer intenders, but only pretenders. Dear ones, we must remember that we are in the last times and we as God’s ultimate creation must be serious and on fire about our salvation.

This is not to say that we don't sometimes fall short in our service. But God has an answer for everything. Even the difficulties we may struggle with. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2: 1) So let us not use the frailty of our humanity as an excuse not to obey and humble ourselves. Don’t default to the “I’m only human” explanation to account for our missteps. Who told you that you were “only human?” I tell you that you’re not just a bag of bones, organs, ligaments and tendons walking around being held together by a flexible outer layer of tissue and driven by a set of wild emotions like some animal. Yes, you are human, but not “only human.” You are much, much more. You see, “…we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2 Corinthians 4: 7) You are not just flesh, you are spirit.

God is a Spirit. Jesus’ words are Spirit. You dwell here on earth but you are a citizen of heaven. “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.” (1 John 4: 13) Therefore you can walk in the spirit and pray in the spirit, and worship in the spirit and live in the spirit. And if I were to use temporal terms to explain your supernatural state I would say that you are a hypersonic, thermonuclear agent of glory divinely empowered to carry out your work here on earth for our Father’s heavenly Kingdom. You belong to the Lord and He knows exactly what to do with your humanity so that you can flourish spiritually. He sacrificed His Son to pay the debt for your sin and then set Him on His right hand to make intercession for you. So when this life knocks you down, submit yourself to God, rise up, dust yourself off, roll up your sleeves and get back to fighting the good fight of faith. I’m not saying that we are perfect, but I am saying that the One who resides within us, and makes intercession for us, is perfect.

As the Apostle Paul said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 12-14) So let’s make every effort to act like we are the people who belong to the precious Prince of Peace, being perennially and passionately in pursuit of perfection. And that perfection is found only in Jesus. “He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” (Deuteronomy 32: 40)

Brothers and Sisters, we have all been given particular responsibilities to perform in the service of Jesus our beloved Messiah. And He was our perfect example of how to do it. In fact, even Jesus Himself was assigned a task by our Heavenly Father, which happened to be the most important task of all time ….. the sacrificing of Himself to save us all. And He didn’t hesitate to completely dedicate Himself and remain faithful to the accomplishing of that divine duty. Jesus’ attitude in the Garden of Gethsemane was a testament to His resolute and rock-solid aspiration towards obeying God. Even when faced with the prospect of unbearable physical torture He said, “Nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.” (Luke 22: 42) And He confidently went forth enduring the cross, despising the shame, completing His mission.

Even as a child Jesus was laser-focused on the process He had to go through on His way to ultimate fulfillment of God's will. At 12 years old He was amazed that His earthly family did not grasp His unwavering and determined devotion to doing what His Heavenly Father had instructed Him to do. When they had lost track of Him for 3 days, searched frantically and then finally found Him in the Temple, Jesus said, “How is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business? And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them.” (Luke 2: 49-50)

And He never, ever failed to be about His Father's business. Everything Jesus did and all that he uttered was based in pleasing His Father. So much so that when He prayed to God at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, He said, “I knew that Thou hearest Me always.” (John 11: 42) How could He be so sure that God always heard Him? Well, He told us in John 8: 29 when He said, “for I do always those things that please Him.” In other words, He was always taking care of His Father’s business.

The question for us is this: What business of God have we not been about as we travel this holy highway towards the heavenly place He has prepared for us? Are we using the gifts God has so graciously given to us for the edifying of the body of Christ? Are we praying without ceasing, loving unconditionally, being lights and salt of the earth as we represent Jesus being His personal ambassadors? Are we making every effort to assemble or communicate with our brethren, such as what we’re doing right now, so as not to fracture the blessed unity that comes from being in the presence or congregation of the righteous people of God? “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133: 1-3)

I pray each one of you will be encouraged to give your best to the Lord at all times and in all things because it will produce a glorious outcome. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15: 58) We as God’s children should always be trustworthy, dependable, reliable and faithful. And we should always be willing to reevaluate, and modify if necessary, our commitment to serving the Lord. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith…” (2 Corinthians 13: 5)

God has always been very straightforward about what He expects from us. You see, God doesn’t need us, we need Him. The instructions He’s given us don’t help Him out, they are for our benefit and for our good. “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? (Deuteronomy 10: 12-13) And that is why His Word must take priority over everything in our lives.

Nonetheless, even in light of all of the plain instructions we’ve received, we still sometimes act perplexed and wonder, "What should we do?" Listen to what Jesus said: “And the people asked Him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto Him, Master, what shall we do? And He said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of Him, saying, And what shall we do? And He said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3: 10-14) He had something for everybody. And that something was essentially this: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments : for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12: 13) Jesus’ response to them espoused the principles that should be followed as the result of an intimate relationship with Him.

Unfortunately we sometimes struggle with the question because we don’t like the answer as in the story of the rich, young ruler: “And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto Him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10: 17-22) In this case, the young man struggled with Jesus’ answer because he wasn’t serious about the question.

If the heart is right, the choice should not be a difficult one as indicated by Simon Peter’s response to the same question on the day of the Church’s first Pentecost: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" There's that question again. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2: 36-39) Not everyone liked Peter's answer. But, glory to God, about three thousand souls did and went on to be baptized in Jesus' name!

And so it comes down to this, children of the Most High God. You are a product of our Savior’s obedience. Anything good you do is not the result of you, but the result of Jesus in you. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2: 13) Therefore you can cheerfully and confidently complete God’s will for your life because the way has already been made. When Jesus hung on the cross after being brutalized by the political and religious authorities in that first century, He knew His job was done. “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19: 28-30) In other words, He died. But when He rose, He rose with all power. Power to lead and to guide you. Power to protect and to provide for you. Power to heal and to sustain you. Power to strengthen and to encourage you. Power to redeem and to save you.

So don’t be apprehensive about the course that has been charted for your life but rejoice and be exceedingly glad. In Jesus, you can and you will be successful as you are on your way to the ultimate goal of life eternal in the presence of God the Father and the One He anointed to save your soul. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you so continue “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12: 2) He will help you to fulfill your work of faith and patience of hope in Him, loving the labor you have been called to which is a truly a labor of love.

One final thing, dear ones. When the tabernacle in the desert was being completed (Exodus 35 & 36), God told Moses only to go to the willing-hearted to finish this business. We too must also be willing-hearted in doing all the things that come with the business of carrying the cross. If we are ready and willing, God will surely make us able as He will never send you somewhere you can’t go, give you a task you can’t complete or require from you more than you are able to give. As the Apostle Paul said at the end of his journey, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4: 5-8)

Our Lord and Savior's earthly mission was finished when He told His Father, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do." (John 17: 4) But we are not finished. May we all “…follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6: 11-12) We still have unfinished business that will only be concluded when we hear these words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25: 21)

Until then, know that the war has already been won. So keep working for the Kingdom as we patiently but eagerly wait for the glorious day when we complete our journey and can say, "It is finished." Remembering that it has all been made possible because "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 34)

And so, in Jesus’ name, be encouraged. Now, go handle your business.