Richard Stearns, President of World Vision and author of the highly recommended “The Hole in Our Gospel”, has a new book entitled, “Unfinished”. The premise of his new book is that followers of Christ waiting for the return of their Savior have work to do here on earth. Indeed, it’s the reason for our lives. If we are not pursuing the mission of Christ, doing the things He told us to, then what in the world are we doing here? Outside of Jesus, life is meaningless. Followers of Christ understand we have a purpose. We have work to do.
During His time on earth, Jesus modeled the way we should live. When He left, He imparted to us the power to continue His mission. So we know what to do, and have everything we need in which to get it done. This leaves us only two alternatives: obedience or disobedience. I’m tired of the excuses from myself and those I hear from others. Everyone seems to have their own spin as to why they are not following Jesus completely. I think Western Christians (of which I am one) have perfected the art of “holy rationalization”. We can give you a thousand reasons why we are still “waiting on the Lord to show us what to do”. The reality is that we have long known what to do; we’ve simply not wanted to do it.
Living for Jesus is radical. It’s counter-cultural. It’s inconvenient. I get all that. But living for Jesus has nothing to do with our opinion of how easy or enjoyable it is. True followers of Jesus recognize that they have no option other than to follow Christ with all of their heart, mind, strength, and soul (Luke 10:27). It’s not about us. It’s 100% about Him. He gave up everything for us. He loves us beyond all measure and comprehension. There was no sacrifice He has not made on our behalf. And still we vacillate over how we should respond to His call.
Let me make this as plain as I can. Redeeming us from our sin cost Jesus everything, even His life. Following Him will cost you something. That’s a guarantee. Our lives are no longer our own, but His to use in any way that will further His mission. This is a hard teaching, but it’s not new. When you committed your life to Christ, you gave everything to Him. That wasn’t a one-time commitment. It was for the rest of your life.
But here’s the payoff. To those who will devote their lives to Jesus, by His grace He will cover us in His blood and secure our lives for eternity. It sounds fantastical, too good to be true. But if you’ve experienced God and His love, you know that despite all rationale, it is true. He is Lord. He is worthy of spending the rest of our lives completing the work He has given us to do. For those of us who love Him above all else, we have unfinished business. Let’s get it done.