What Jesus Did! 'Finished!' — John 19:28-30

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Merry Christmas!

We pray the Lord blesses you with the grace of Jesus' presence this Christmas!

 Read More
Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, "I am thirsty." A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
— John 19:28-30 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus lived on earth just a little over three decades. When he died, he declared his work "finished." I'm not sure I can say that about even one day's work at the end of the day, much less about my life's work. I have a cartoon someone gave me that reads, "I believe that God gives us all a certain amount of work we are to get done in our lifetime. At the rate I'm going, I figure I'm going to live another 110 years!" Jesus' secret to completing his life's work was really pretty simple: He sought to please God with what he did rather than trying to make everyone else happy. Jesus accomplished what God sent him to do. How about us — you and me? With all we are trying to do, are we really focused on the objective of doing God's work or are our efforts being diminished in trying to do lesser things? Let's live so that when our end is near, we can say, "It is finished!"

Today's Prayer

Holy God and loving Father, help me to know your will for me each day so that I can accomplish the most important things and not just be involved in running around trying to do too many things. Please reveal to me more clearly the work you have for me to do; and then, dear Father, please give me the courage and power through your Holy Spirit to do it. I want my work to be finished when my time has come to leave this earth and go home to you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • John 4:34
  • John 9:1-5
  • John 13:1-5

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, December 3, 2022

Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'I Persecuted This Group at One Time'
"[Paul detailed his own personal history before Festus and King Agrippa as he defended his innocence:] "I used to believe that I ought to do..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Fall Down and Worship God' (Re. 19:3-4)
"And again their voices rang out: "Praise the Lord!" ... Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was..."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Psalms 24:8
"Well may our God be glorious in the eyes of his people, seeing that he has wrought such wonders for them, in them, and by them. For them, the Lord..."
Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by Napoleon:
"I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ was no mere man: Between Him and whoever else in the world there is no possible term of comparison."

Illustration

Illustration of John 19:28-30 NLT — "I am thirsty." —— "It is finished!"

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!