“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”
John 17:4
The Bible teaches that our days on the earth are determined by God. Job confessed that the number of man’s months are with God; He has limits on our lives that we cannot pass (Job 14:5). Knowing this ought to create in us an attitude of humility and gratitude (Psalm 39:4). The great prophet Moses may have penned the 90th Psalm after the death of his two siblings, Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 21). Moses wrote, “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10). In the light of our fleeting existence on the earth (James 4:14), God’s people, as Moses did, ought to seek the Lord’s guidance and instruction. “Teach us to number our days,” Moses asked of the LORD, “that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Knowing that the sovereign God of heaven has every detail of our lives in His capable hands ought to fill our hearts not only with humility and gratitude, but with bold confidence. We are absolutely invincible until our God-ordained work here is complete. Jesus our forerunner showed us the way. Continually faithful to His Father, the Lord Jesus was threatened with physical harm several times during His brief public ministry. Each time His deliverance was mysterious, subtle, and complete. Truly the Lord was invincible until His redemptive work was done. Only when He had accomplished all He was called to do was Jesus taken from the earth to His reward. “It is finished!” cried the Savior before He gave His Spirit leave and tasted death for every man (John 19:30; Hebrews 2:9). As Jesus was, the Lord’s people are invincible until their work on the earth is done. John the Baptist was beheaded for his witness (Matthew 14:6-12), but not before he could fulfill his mission as the herald of the promised Messiah (Matthew 3:1-12; John 1:19-34). Steven was martyred for his faith, but not before he could help establish good order in the Jerusalem church and give a brilliant, Spirit-empowered defence of his faith to the Jewish religious authorities (Acts 6-7).Even while James, brother to the apostle John, was executed (Acts 12:1-2) both Peter and Paul remained sealed from death until they too accomplished what was expected of them. At the end of his his life Paul could say triumphantly, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). May we too experience the courage and boldness that comes with the sure knowledge that we are invincible, sealed from death, until our work is done.
God bless and encourage you today,
Pastor John
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