This week’s devotions are based on Week 7 of “How Would You Answer? Does Jesus care? (WATCH HERE)
John 17:4-5 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Few things in life feel completely finished.
There are unfinished projects around our homes, unfinished goals in our careers, unfinished conversations in relationships, and unfinished struggles in our hearts. Many people quietly carry the exhausting feeling that they are never enough. Never good enough. Never spiritual enough. Never successful enough.
Into that weariness, Jesus says something beautiful in John 17:4: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”
Hours before the cross, Jesus speaks with confidence about completing the Father’s mission. The cross is so certain that He can already speak of the work as finished. Soon, in John 19:30, Jesus will cry out, “It is finished.”
This is one of the greatest expressions of God’s care. Jesus did not abandon the mission when it became painful. He completed the work necessary for our salvation.
The gospel is not built on what we finish for God. It is built on what Christ finished for us.
That matters because many people live like their relationship with God depends on constant performance. They believe God loves them more when they succeed spiritually and less when they fail. But the finished work of Jesus reminds us that our hope rests in His obedience, not ours.
Ephesians 2:8–9 says we are saved by grace through faith, “not by works, so that no one can boast.” Salvation is not earned. It is given. Jesus finished what we never could.
That does not mean our Christian life no longer matters. God’s love changes us. Grace transforms us. But we obey from acceptance, not for acceptance. We serve God because we belong to Him already.
There is deep freedom in this truth. We no longer have to live under the crushing pressure of trying to prove ourselves worthy of God’s love. Christ has already done the work.
Think about how comforting it is when someone follows through on a promise. Trust grows when people remain faithful even when things become difficult. Jesus remained faithful all the way to the cross. His love did not stop when sacrifice became costly.
Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before him.” That joy included redeeming and rescuing His people. Jesus saw the cost and still chose obedience because of His love for us.
When guilt rises or fear whispers that you are not enough, remember the cross. Remember the empty tomb. Remember the words of Jesus: “It is finished.”
You are not saved by unfinished human effort. You are held by the finished work of Christ.
Reflect: In what ways do you still try to “earn” God’s love or approval? How would your daily life change if you truly rested in Christ’s finished work?
Prayer: Father, thank You that Jesus completed the work of salvation for us. Forgive us for the times we try to carry burdens You never asked us to carry. Help us rest in the grace of Christ instead of striving to prove ourselves worthy. Let the finished work of Jesus bring peace, freedom, and confidence to our hearts today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.