Hours before His death, Jesus Himself prayed to His Father: "I have given You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do" (Jn 17:4). At His death, Jesus "said, 'Now it is finished.' Then He bowed His head, and delivered over His spirit" (Jn 19:30).
Paul, having the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), stated in the last years of his life: "I put no value on my life if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:24). Paul proclaimed: "The Lord stood by my side and gave me strength, so that through me the preaching task might be completed" (2 Tm 4:17). Before his death, Paul also proclaimed: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tm 4:7). Paul assured the church of Philippi: "I am sure of this much: that He Who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6).
The Lord has called us to make our lives beautiful temples of the Spirit to His glory (see 1 Pt 2:5). Our concern is that we may not "complete the work" (Lk 14:29). Then all who see our lives will not give glory to God; rather, they will jeer at us and say: "They began to build what they could not finish" (see Lk 14:30).
However, because we have been baptized into Christ and have the mind of Christ, we can confidently say: "The Lord will complete what He has done for me" (Ps 138:8).
| PRAYER: | Father, may I cross Your finish line. |
| PROMISE: | "He took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way." –Lk 14:4 |
| PRAISE: | Charles prays, studies the church's teachings (especially the Bible), and reads the lives of the saints to help increase his faith. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College