He said, “It is finished” John 19:30
Lord Jesus, Labor Day weekend in the USA has taken on a larger meaning that honoring the American workforce, and the gifts of work and vocation. It marks the end of summer and the official kickoff to the school year. The main “kick-off” many are most “jazzed” about is the beginning of college football year. However, as those alive to the Gospel, we cannot think of “work and vocation” without referencing your “labor of love” on our behalf. Everything changed when you cried out from the cross, “It is finished!” This is the reason you came into the world—to give your life as “a ransom for the many.”
How “many” is “many”? Jesus, your Bride is as countless as she is cherished—form every people group, language, and nation. Your love is that great. Your finished work is that powerful. The Gospel is that glorious.
When you died, death died. Performance-based-spirituality took an eternal beatdown. Works righteousness, legalism, and heaven-by-merit were exposed as frauds. Because of your labor on our behalf, we’re not only certain we have an unbreakable, intimate, eternal relationship with God. We obey you now because we love you—not to get anything from you, but to enjoy more of you.
We work from a place of rest, not restlessness. Should we get rewards (not wages) when you take us Home, we won’t need neck braces for our “crowns,” just a nanosecond to throw them at your feet. What a Savior you are, Jesus. What a stunning salvation you have earned for us once and for all. So Very Amen.
