A Testimony of Completeness

A Testimony of Completeness from the Sixth Saying of Jesus On the Cross (Holy Friday – April 2, 20221) Cambridge dictionary defined completeness as the quality of being whole or perfect and having nothing missing. Meriam-Webster listed synonymous words as faultlessness, flawlessness, fullness, absoluteness, entireness… now, How can I make a testimony of being without fault or without flaws when I felt all this time I am missing something? As we or I limit myself with “I can’t”… “I don’t have”, yet as Christians, the Bible assures us that we are created in His likeness, is perfect and complete. And when we trust God, we lack nothing. Jesus certainly did not accept any incompleteness, whether the need was for food, physical healing, forgiveness, a task to finish or for Jesus to die on the cross. John 19:30 says When Jesus received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. What does the sixth saying mean when Jesus said “It Is Finished”? The sixth statement of Jesus on the cross is an exclamation of completion. What was completed or finished? 1. Jesus Finished the Work that God the Father tasked Him To Do Jesus suffered physically like tasting the sour wine, when at that moment He needed water, still He had to finish the work God the Father had sent Him to finish, that is, to provide salvation for the people. By living His entire life without sin, Jesus was able to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. The way of salvation has now been made complete. Just as Jesus, we have tasks to finish assigned to us, be it daily, monthly, yearly or a lifetime. A daily taskto complete may it be an assignment, a quiz, a lesson, the laundry or any household chores. A monthly task of paying bills, complying a report, or passing a test after a month of preparations. A yearly task of doing an annual report, of schooling, of reading a book series. Or a lifetime task, as for a child, where we are tasked to learn and to finish school, whether with or without academic distinction, we are to achieve “a graduate” by holding on to that diploma. As a teenager, we are given tasked to help, to do household chores, to be responsible of what is assigned to us. As a young adult, we are tasked to find a job, to return what and how our parents sacrificed to send us to school. As an adult, we are tasked to look after our elderly, to care to sacrifice just as they did for us. All of us face tasks assigned to us, all we have to do is work hard to finished it, whatever the cost, how hard it is or easy it would seem, in the end we could say, ahh.. it is finished! 2. Jesus Achieved VictoryOver Satan Jesus' death on the cross was the victory over the devil. The suffering of Jesus on the cross has finished the task. The dominion over the earth that man will be handed over to the devil when man sinned is to be won back. The authority of Satan will be vanquished - the victory will be won. When Christ comes back again He will take hold of the victory that He won over the devil on Calvary's cross. In Hebrews 2:18, For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. Jesus as an earthly man achieved victory over the devil several times, so then we can overcome temptation and will be able to help us when are faced with temptation and to go on sinning. When we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and trust in Him we have the victory over Satan and our sins. Claim victory in Jesus name! 3. Jesus Suffering Is Finished The reason that Jesus said, "It is finished" is with regard to His own suffering. Jesus spent over thirty yearsupon the earth living among sinful people, suffering from the wrath of men. Jesus endured the final six hours of that suffering on Calvary’s cross. This was now finished. He would no longer have to suffer physically and emotionally because It is finished! Is it nowhere to be found in the Bible that directly say that Jesus suffered everything that we have suffered? Is it impossible? Human as we are, we are prone to comparing our situations. Like, Jesus was a man, and has not experience what women suffer or Jesus was never physically married, or have been in a sexual relationship. So the pains and sufferings we experienced, we tend to ask why? We are looking for a reason and that we are asking God why, why do we have to experience pain, sadness, loss, defeat, sickness. We are asking God why do we have to suffer or when will these sufferings end. The statement it is finished is still unfinished for a middle-aged individual, referring to living a life on earth. Unless death comes knocking, be it by sickness or sudden death, finishing the course is still far from ending. Still more of suffering, still more of life to enjoy, still more to achieve, still more of life to experience, still more of life to work on for life after and for Christians, still more years of serving God in whatever way we can. How I long for that day that I could say, its over now, I have kept the faith, I have finished the race, but it is still a long way only God knows when indeed “it is finished!” Our completeness is not dependent upon a situation or a person. Recognizing this assures us that we are not incomplete and that having the luxuries in the world does not complete an individual, that there is no immediate need for one special someone to be in our life, and that marriage is not a source of completeness, especially for the young ones wanting to get away with the hard-up life they are having. Every one of us is God’s image, needing no completion, but ever beautiful, rare and complete. We cannot ask for more - or have less! God created us and has completely given us what we all need, only we are to recognize, appreciate and be thankful for it. This testimony of completeness has come to a completion, the act of finishing the task given to me which is to give a testimony. Just like in a basketball game, I am passing a successful forward pass caught in bound by a team mate, that is the next speaker for the final saying of Jesus on the cross.

God's Love

God's Love: a reflection for Holy Week '09
Apr 9, '09 12:39 AMfor everyone (via multiply.com)

Since I was a young people (even a sunday school student) at church, I am reminded of the kinds of love (whether its a lecture on LCM on february or on Holy Week) : filial, eros, or agape. Most importantly discussed is Agape- God's Love!

How will I describe God's Love?
1. HE Reveals... (Psalms 103:6-7) He revealed His plans trough a lot of biblical heroes like:
(a) Moses - God revealed His love through His provisions, His directions, His plans and promise to the Israelites of a land flowing with milk and honey.
(b) Joseph (my favorite biblical hero) - who was traded by his brothers but because of God's love, he sent Joseph to Egypt to reveal His perfect plan to support his family for a coming famine..
(c) David - who was a "nobody" among his brothers, but God's love revealed that although he was young and a shepherd, he was annointed to be a King.
God has perfect plans to be revealed to us, all we have to do is to search and accept God 's love, waiting with faith for the perfect time it will be granted to us!

2. He Satisfies... (Psalms 103:5)
As little children, we want the best toys, clothes that will satisfy us. But God's love satisfies us, not of wealth and riches but we know God is always there to provide us our NEEDS, to heal our diseases, to guide and protect us!

3. His Love Encompasses all... (Psalms 103:8)
As I was/is/will be taking care of my niece/nephew, I am thinking will they love me back? One thing is for sure, I am hopeful that when they grow up, I will experience their love!
That is God's love, eventhough we are stubborn, He still loves us! God knows we will love Him because He first loved us!

4. He forgives... (Psalms 103:3)
Human as we are, eventhough we have asked for forgiveness, we continue to be sinners and we can't even forgive those who have sinned against us. But God's love is different- He forgives! We feel guilty that God will punish us for our sins, but He didn't - He suffered on the cross for us and continues to forgive and forgive us...!

5. His Love lasts forever... (Psalms103:15-18)
God's love gives us happiness, satisfaction that will last forever!
God choses us from among the people, so let us love the LOrd with all our hearts, with all our strength and with all our might! Let us say to the Lord: "love you so much, JESUS, love you so much!"

You might feel (like I do), sometimes, left out, unloved, unnoticed..but that does not mean you're alone! You have friends who stand by you, family who care for you and support you, and of course a God who loves you! Isn't that the most important in life?