Journey to ResolveResolution 15: Complete the Work God Has for Me

Angels Landing stands 1,488 feet above the valley floor at Zion National Park in Utah, United States. It is perched behind me in the photo. I stood on Scout Lookout, the turnaround point of my hike with my wife and son. There were good reasons we didn’t continue to Angels Landing:
 

1.    My son was only 10 years old at the time and one misstep could’ve been fatal.

2.    We would’ve had to file within a string of hikers, so the rest of the way would’ve been at the pace of the crowd.

3.    We were exhausted! Whew! 

So, Scout Lookout was where we celebrated and looked forward to the remaining, mostly downhill, 1.9 miles. A 3.8-mile round trip doesn’t sound long, but this hike was strenuous. Very strenuous. The trail was 81% paved, but that doesn’t mean the steep elevation gain with an incline of up to 23° under nearly continuous sun exposure was easy. The only hike that was more difficult for me in terms of physical effort was a hike to the top of Half Dome at Yosemite National Park a few decades prior. 

On this Scout Lookout hike, we endured an elevation gain of 1,187 feet. Switchbacks seemed never-ending. The last segment of the hike is called the ‘chains section.’ Throughout the final ½ mile of the hike, the National Park Service provided chains to compensate for limited and rocky footholds along the side of the mountain. For me, that meant one hand gripping the chains and the other holding my child who braved the mountainside with both hands on the chains. 

It was a journey, but we pressed on.

Speaking of journeys, this is the final post in our Journey to Resolve where we have studied every chapter 20, verse 24 in the Bible (or verse 25 or 26, as it matched the calendar year of publication: 2024, 2025, and 2026). (Fun fact: I used 2,026 words to develop the message of this post. 😊)

We have enjoyed a mini survey of the Old Testament, drawing from quick but deep dives into specific stories in the history of ancient Israel. We talked about worship, obedience, and faith – all fundamental elements in our Christian walk. We studied about kings and kingdoms in some of the 11 resolutions from the Old Testament, and we met with Jesus in 3 of the 4 resolutions from the New Testament. We considered humility and sacrifice as we aim high to be the very best we can be for God. There is certainly something for everybody in this series. You may want to re-read the first 14 resolutions as I did. 

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And now, what a fitting resolution to consider as we bring this series to a close – Resolution 15: I Will Complete the Work God Has for Me. Our 20:26 verse for this resolution is a bit obscure by itself, so read all of Apostle Paul’s words to the elders of the church at Ephesus as he approached the end of his third missionary journey:
 

When they arrived, he said to them:
“You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,
from the first day I came into the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with great humility and with tears
and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
You know that I have not hesitated
to preach anything that would be helpful to you
but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks
that they must turn to God in repentance
and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,
not knowing what will happen to me there.
I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me
that prison and hardships are facing me.

 

²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;
my only aim is to finish the race
and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—
the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom
I have gone about preaching the kingdom
will ever see me again.
²⁶Therefore, I declare to you today
that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.
²⁷For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 

Acts 20:18-27

Paul set his sights on the gospel – preaching and teaching God’s gospel of grace. This included encouraging and exhorting fellow Christians to live righteously, in a manner that demonstrated their relationship to Jesus, their Savior and Lord. In many respects, we have the same mission as Paul, but it is clear, when reading about Paul’s life as a Christian, that God specially designed and commissioned him to preach the gospel as a missionary in the Roman Empire. So, as you continue reading, think about what God has specifically called you to do for Him. There is something He wants you to do, somewhere to go, someone to talk to, that is unique to you. It’s easy to think there is nothing special about us, but God already told us we are absolutely special – crafted by God Himself (Psalm 139:13-18). From inside the womb, God designed us for uniquely special purposes. In fact, King David wrote: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). 

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 The key verse for this entire series is Acts 20:24: 

…I consider my life worth nothing to me;
my only aim is to finish the race
and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—
the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Will we complete the unique work God planned for us as individuals?

Here are a couple important truths I see in Paul’s conversation with the Ephesian elders.

1.    Serving God is our most worthy endeavor, even over life itself (Acts 20:19-27).

In this story, Paul described the unique work God planned for him in this way: to “preach anything that would be helpful to” those he served, declaring “to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:20-21). If we’re not as confident as Paul that we are doing the work God wants us to accomplish, that’s okay. The more we do what we think the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do, the more confident we will be from month to month as we make adjustments and sometimes change focus. Serving God in this way is our most worthy endeavor because it is what God designed for us and those whom we serve and influence. Paul worked hard with humility and sincerity. He remained committed and focused when times were rough. With each forward step in service to God as he “taught [the Ephesians] publicly and from house to house”, he walked closer to captivity and hardship. His own comfort and well-being paled in comparison to the work God laid out for him to complete. It’s not that suffering and making sacrifices were easy for him. Quite the opposite was true. But God’s work was supremely critical, so Paul wanted to do all that he could for the sake of those he served.

 

*** click to tweet ***

With each forward step
in service to God,
Paul walked closer
to captivity and hardship.

*****

 

Does Paul’s example spur us toward sacrificial service to God? Serving God is our most worthy endeavor, even over life itself. Another truth I see in Paul’s service to God is… 

2.    Equipping others to selflessly and courageously serve God extends our own personal service to Him (Acts20:28-35)

When we serve God, we equip others to serve Him, too, either directly or indirectly. It wouldn’t be God’s work if we didn’t, but our spheres of influence are not always plain to see. Think for a moment. Who benefits from your specific service to God? Who is in your care? Who is listening? Who is watching? Ask these questions about your life in general, too. As we go about our days, whom do we influence?

For Paul, his primary sphere of influence was clear. His ministry was to establish churches. This included preaching the gospel, teaching God’s truth, training leaders, and revisiting the churches he established for the purpose of encouragement, exhortation, and correction. Church communities, especially their leaders, were direct beneficiaries of Paul’s missionary work. Paul extended his service to God by equipping others to selflessly and courageously serve God – to follow his example.

Paul also understood that if he didn’t do the work God designed for him, others might have stepped in and drawn his ‘spiritual children’ and partners in ministry away from God’s truth and away from effectively serving Him. The same is true for us. If we are not doing God’s work as He designed, someone else could be undermining that work. Someone else could be leading the people under our care away from God’s truth and values. In Acts 20, we see Paul’s warning to the Ephesian church leaders about false teachers and contrary philosophies and value systems, even from within the church. The leaders needed to respond to the dangers and pitfalls in leading their church if they were to lead as Paul did. So, Paul made sure to train them as long as he was able. We truly need to complete the work God designed for us. We are not expendable.
 

*** click to tweet ***

If we are not doing
God’s work as He designed,
someone else could be leading
those within our spheres of influence
away from God’s truth and values.

*****

 

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Later in life, after Paul was imprisoned, he continued his work of establishing resilient churches by utilizing messengers and letter writing. His time was limited with each church so he did what he could as God allowed. Here is what Paul said as he closed his time with the Ephesian leaders:

“Now I commit you to God
and to the word of his grace,
which can build you up
and give you an inheritance
among those who are sanctified.

Acts 20:32

He also reminded them that their ministry was not about themselves, but instead about those whom they served. He expressed the value of sacrifice.

I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You yourselves know that these hands of mine
have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
In everything I did, I showed you that
by this kind of hard work we must help the weak,
remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

 Acts 20:33-35

Paul understood the value of shepherding, protecting, and sacrificing for the longevity of a church body and for extending his own personal work for God through the people God put in his care.

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So, here we are – at the end of this long Journey to Resolve. How many of these resolutions have you put into practice? Tell somebody. It will help you complete the work God designed specifically for you. “When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him” (Acts 20:36-37). Paul had a special mission from God, but he couldn’t complete it alone. He had the help of many men and women who either accompanied him on his missionary journeys, partnered with him while they sent him off, or worked within the church bodies he helped to establish. There were many others, and in Acts 20, we see he also relied much on the prayers of fellow Christians. He didn’t do God’s work in a vacuum, and he didn’t do it alone.

Don’t let the business world or anyone else tell us we are expendable and replaceable. We are not. God designed each of us to complete the unique work that only we can do for Him. So, let’s complete it.

The resolutions and Bible books in this series:

I will…

1.    Worship God Alone (Exodus 20:24)

2.    Be More Holy (Leviticus 20:24)

3.    Aim High (Numbers 20:24)

4.    Trust in God’s Strength (Judges 20:25)

5.    Nurture Quality Friendships (1 Samuel 20:25)

6.    Stand for God’s Government (2 Samuel 20:25)

7.    Follow God through Highs and Lows (1 Kings 20:25)

8.    Let God Win My Battles (2 Chronicles 20:25)

9.    Rise Above the Naysayers (Job 20:25)

10. Trust God’s Ways (Proverbs 20:25)

11. Allow God to Correct Me (Ezekiel 20:25)

12. Serve Others Without the Glory (Matthew 20:26)

13. Rely On the Wisdom of God (Luke 20:26)

14. Trust the Words of My Savior (John 20:26)

15. Complete the Work God Has for Me (Acts 20:26)

 

If you want to dialog more about God’s special design for each of us or about any of the other resolutions in this series, feel free to leave a comment or email me at authordlv@att.net.

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