Do you ever struggle with finishing what you start? Maybe it’s a project or something on your “honey do” list. After a long day or week of work, it is so easy for these tasks to be put on the backburner. If you’re like many people, you might even have multiple incomplete undertakings that are vying for your attention. Sometimes I consider myself a “notorious multitasker.” I will bounce freely from one item on my agenda to another. This is great from the standpoint of being flexible, but sometimes it also means that some things never get completed!
I once started a flower bed that I had big dreams for. I enjoyed imagining all the shrubs, plants, and flowers it would be filled with. But then came the hard part of tilling and preparing the soil. I know I tilled that area at least twice because I waited too long to plant. The land had gotten overgrown, and the soil had hardened. After doing all that work, I simply ran out of steam!
This Sunday will begin the time when we recognize the series of events leading up to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Before His final breath on the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He had done what The Father had called Him to do. He had completed the work of redeeming humanity by taking on the sins of the world. This unfathomable gift of purchasing our salvation culminated with His resurrection. Because Jesus finished what He started, the debt for our sin is “paid in full” (Romans 6:23).
Christ is continuing His work of sanctifying believers. While our salvation is complete, He keeps making us more like Himself. Philippians 1:6 says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” One day, we will no longer battle with our flesh because we will be directly in His presence for eternity. Christ will return and complete yet another work: creating a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21). I am eternally grateful that God does not grow tired or weary; He finishes what He starts (Isaiah 40:28).
By His Grace,
Adam