Most of you are familiar with the Nike slogan – “Just Do It.” If you will indulge me for a few minutes, I would like to chat about “getting it done.”
Let’s turn first to the Bible, specifically John 19:30. We see recorded here a powerful moment when Jesus declared: “It is finished!” Have you ever considered what was finished?
Please don’t run past this. Take a moment right now to read this account in John 19, Matthew 27 and Luke 23. And then ask yourself, why was Jesus on the cross? What was it that He was finishing?
Let me diverge for a moment. There is something powerful about when a believer makes the choice to own his/her faith. No longer believing things simply because someone said to. Rather, taking the time to ponder, consider, study, listen to the Holy Spirit, and therefore have a reason for his/her faith. This is a disciple. So many Christians fall short of discipleship. They don’t own their faith (belief system). This is not a judgement on an individual’s salvation, but a statement about living the fullness of life that Jesus hung on the cross to provide for all mankind.
Back to our article.
What was it that Jesus declared as finished? What did Jesus declare over YOU in this powerful moment on the cross?
I invite you to go back to John 3:16 and 17. Here we see the driving focal point of the life that Jesus lived on this earth. Jesus lived His entire life with the goal of John 3 in mind. And as He hung on the cross, prepared for that portion of His life to end, He declared,
“It is finished!”
“It” was the plan of God to bring man back into relationship with Himself –to literally give mankind their life back!
Let’s take this one step further and look at John 10:10. Here we read that Jesus not only provided life, but abundant life through His finished work on the Cross. Other scriptures put it in the terms of literally being brought from death into life. Or becoming a new creation in Christ, all death washed away by the blood of Jesus.
These are powerful statements that deserve our pondering and considering! You can find the scripture references for them and spend time on each one, building in your heart and mind the truth of who you are because of what Jesus FINISHED.
The declaration of Jesus over you was a declaration of Abundant Life!
I encourage you to take the time to ponder these powerful truths, work them into your heart and give them time to become your reality. Renew your mind to the truth of who you are!
So, there you go, an invitation (maybe even a challenge) to hear some powerful Truth about you, and cultivate a lifestyle of making that truth your own. And know that investing in the process of renewing your mind and living the gift of life on this earth is the process of being a disciple.
