Fulfilling His Mission

Fulfilling His Mission

Read: John 17:1-5

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

John 17:4

“The will of God is the measure of things.”

—St. Ambrose

IN WORD Mission statements abound in this world. Few institutions or people that have them, however, really live up to them. They are ideals to strive for. But Jesus’ declaration is that His mission statement has become reality. He has lived up to it. All that the Father has given Him to do, He has done.

Jesus did not preach to everyone in the world. He did not heal everyone, and He did not go everywhere. He didn’t try to do more than He was assigned. In fact, many times He left the scene in search of solitude, even while needy people were clamoring for His attention. He didn’t respond positively to every request that came to Him. He didn’t stay busy for the sake of busyness. When He ascended into heaven, there was still—and there remains today—much work to be done. But Jesus focused on the work that God had given Him to do, and He accomplished it. He didn’t stray from His mission.

IN DEED One day we will approach the end of our lives. We will stand before the Father—figuratively on this side of death, literally afterward. Will we also be able to say, “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do”? Is Jesus our model as we seek the will of God and minister in this world?

Blessed are the people who will be able to echo these words as their life ends. It will not mean that we were everything everyone else expected of us. It will not mean that we worked so hard that we’re sure we managed to accomplish God’s will sometime during all our activity, although we’re not sure when. It will not mean that we addressed every situation for which we felt sympathy, or gave to every organization or missionary that said they needed our financial support. It will simply mean that we discerned God’s will for our lives and devoted ourselves to accomplishing it by the power of His Spirit. May we be single-minded for that goal.