our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Sep 24, 2018, 2:46:08 AM9/24/18

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In Progress or Completed?

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:14

It’s satisfying to finish a job. Each month, for instance, one of my job responsibilities gets moved from one category to another, from “In Progress” to “Completed.” I love clicking that “Completed” button. But last month when I clicked it, I thought, If only I could overcome rough spots in my faith so easily! It can seem like the Christian life is always in progress, never completed.

Then I remembered Hebrews 10:14. It describes how Christ’s sacrifice redeems us totally. So in one important sense, that “completed button” has been pressed for us. Jesus’s death did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves: He made us acceptable in God’s eyes when we place our faith in Him. It is finished, as Jesus Himself said (John 19:30). Paradoxically, even though His sacrifice is complete and total, we spend the rest of our lives living into that spiritual reality—“being made holy,” as Hebrews’ author writes.

The fact that Jesus has finished something that’s still being worked out in our lives is hard to understand. When I’m struggling spiritually, it’s encouraging to remember that Jesus’s sacrifice for me—and for you—is complete . . . even if our living it out in this life is still a work in progress. Nothing can stop His intended end from being achieved eventually: being transformed into His likeness (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Jesus, thank You for giving Your life for us. Help us trust You as we grow into followers whose lives look more and more like Yours, knowing that You are the one who makes us complete.

God is at work to make us who He intends us to be.

完成了吗？

因为祂一次献祭，便叫那得以成圣的人永远完全。-希伯来书10章14节

完成工作会带来满足感。以我的工作为例，每个月看到一项工作从“进行中”进阶到“完成”，都令我十分满足，我最爱按下标示“完成”的按钮。但上个月当我按下“完成”的按钮时，不禁想到：若我在努力克服信仰的软弱时，也能按下“完成”的按钮，那该多好啊！基督徒的生命似乎永远是在进行中，从未达到完成的阶段。

我不由想起希伯来书10章14节，这里说到基督的一次献祭，使我们永远得到完全。所以我们可以说，耶稣已经为我们按下了“完成”的按钮。耶稣的受死，成就了你我无法为自己做成的事：当我们相信耶稣，祂就使我们在上帝眼中得蒙悦纳，正如耶稣所说：“成了！”（约翰福音19章30节）但令人费解的是，尽管耶稣的牺牲已使我们完全得救，我们却仍需天天不断地追求灵命成长，直到希伯来书作者所说的“得以成圣”。

虽然我们不明白耶稣已完成了救赎，为何我们的生命还需要属灵的操练，但在我面对属灵的争战时，只要想到耶稣为你我的牺牲已完成了救赎，就能得着激励，即使我的属灵生命仍在进行中也没关系。没有任何事物能拦阻上帝达成最终的目标：祂要使我们完全像祂（哥林多后书3章18节）。

耶稣，感谢祢为我们舍命。求祢帮助我们信靠祢，
使我们能越来越像祢，因唯有祢能让我们得以完全。