Complete, Fulfilled, Done, Finished

What is your mission in life? Is it to be a good wife, a good mother, a good friend, a good employee? What is it?

When Jesus came to this earth He had one mission and one mission only; to do the will of His Father. He left the glory and majesty of Heaven to be born of a virgin, despised and rejected by the religious crown, battered and beaten by cruel men and hung on a Roman cross to die.

Why? Because He had a mission to complete. You see, since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, sin has separated man from God. Only through the the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could the sins of the people be forgiven. But the people didn't stop sinning so they had to continue sacrificing - over and over again.

But when Jesus gave His life on the cross of Calvary, He became the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin. What were his last words from the cross?

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

What was finished? The Greek word is "τελέω" which means to pay, to complete, to fulfil. What was finished? The full penalty for my sin and yours was paid. With His death, the complex sacrificial system was ended because the perfect, sinless Son of God took all sin - yours and mine - upon Himself so that we may go free.

You know what else? Satan was defeated at Calvary. FINISHED! Why do we so often live our lives like he has power over us? Why do we say things like, "the devil made me do it".

DEFEATED! That's what satan is! Defeated he will always be. It was FINISHED that day at Calvary when the Son of God laid down His life for fallen man!

I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
Selah Psalm 44:6-8

What is your mission?

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus fulfilled His. How about you and me? We have the authority. Whatever whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. We have His complete Word - the Bible and are fully equipped for everything He asks us to do. What is stopping us?

If Jesus came back today, would we be able to say, "Mission Accomplished"?

Flourishing Faith & Hope

Do you realize that there are many olive trees in Israel that are 1600-2000 years old that are still producing fruit?


King David in Psalm 52 says these words,

8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.

9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Like an olive tree, David's roots ran very deep. Since he was a young boy, he learned to love God. His faith was a faith that had stood the test of time. As trials would come, he knew who he could trust - his faithful God.

When he was alone in the fields and longing for company, worship would lead him into the throne room of Heaven where he would find sweet fellowship with His God.

When he a lion was stalking the sheep in his care, David found strength that could only come from the Lord as he turned the predator into prey.

When he was tired from the long journey and longing for home, David found peace in the midst of a restless night. It was the kind of peace that passes all understanding, a true gift from a loving God.

David could stand firmly upon his faith and say, "I will trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever". His was a faith that was tried and true. He knew that deep down inside, he was just a lowly shepherd boy who found himself sitting on the throne of Israel. If any praise was to be given, it ALL belonged to the Lord. For only He was and is worthy of praise.

David knew that his only hope in life was in the mighty, matchless, merciful name of God. Armies would rise and armies would fall. But our God - Jehovah is the same yesterday, today and forever. He alone is worthy of our praise!

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

Father, my hope is in You and You alone! May my roots run deep and my faith flourish as I trust in your unfailing love today, tomorrow and forever. I praise you with my whole heart as I reflect on all that you have done in my life. In the presence of the Saints today I praise you! Bravo God! Bravo! You are my hope!

With Only One Word

If you could only describe God using one word, what would that word be?

I was reading 2 Samuel chapter 22 today and it has really stirred up my spirit. Battle after battle had really taken its toll on David. I wrote yesterday how he was to the point of total exhaustion.

But today is a new day! The battle is over and God had granted David and his men victory over all of their enemies.

In typical fashion, King David throws caution to the wind and really gets his praise on.

David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from
the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me. (vs. 1-4)

• You can't know Him as rock, if you have never found yourself sinking.
• You can't know Him as fortress, if you have never found yourself exposed and vulnerable.
• You can't know Him as deliverer, if you have never felt your backed into a corner with no place to run.
• You can't know Him as refuge, if you have never found yourself in trouble and alone.
• You can't know Him as shield, if you have never been under attack.
• You can't know Him as stronghold, if you have never lost your way.
• You can't know Him as savior, if you have not recognized you are lost without hope without Him.

Like David, MY God has been ALL of these to me and so much more. The more that I walk with Him, the more that I love Him. The more I know Him, the more I love Him.

If I could only describe God using one word today, that word would be faithful. He is faithful to love, faithful to comfort, faithful to forgive, faithful to encourage, faithful to provide, faithful to bless, faithful!

How about you?