There is no greater example of an absolute mission than that of Jesus Christ. From the Old Testament prophecy to His birth, His death, and His resurrection, Jesus was all in on what He was put on earth to do. If we want to know the mindset it takes to successfully achieve whatever goals and dreams we have for ourselves, we need only to look at the life of Jesus and follow His example.
After all, it is the week of Christmas. While we all have created our own traditions, and whether you believe in the birth of Christ or not, Jesus is the reason we have this wonderful holiday!
It is an appropriate time to share about the story of Jesus. Regardless of faith and beliefs, one cannot argue the absolute mission His story reveals. Let’s look.
“The Greatest Example of an Absolute Sense of Mission”
Before the birth of Jesus came about, His story was foretold by prophets long ago. Probably the most popular and well-known is that of Isaiah.
Isaiah Chapter 53: 1-12 (New American Bible)
Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye, no beauty to draw us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, but he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way; But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth. Seized and condemned, he was taken away. Who would have thought anymore of his destiny? For he was cut off from the land of the living, struck for the sins of his people. He was given a grave among the wicked, a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong, nor deceit found in his mouth. But it was the Lord’s will to crush him with pain. By making his life as a reparation offering, he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days, and the Lord’s will shall be accomplished through him. Because of his anguish he shall see the light; because of his knowledge he shall be content; My servant, the just one, shall justify the many, their iniquity he shall bear. Therefore, I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
Isaiah Chapter 7: 14 (NIV)
The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.
It is important to note that Isaiah spoke these words over 700 years before the birth of Jesus.
The birth of Jesus!
Matthew 1: 18-25 (New American Bible)
Now this is how the birth of Jesus came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel, which means God with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Jesus fulfilled His calling!
Matthew 4: 23 (New American Bible)
He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. Great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 5: 17 (New American Bible)
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
John 5: 36-40 (New American Bible)
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who has sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you because you do not believe in the one who he has sent. You search the scriptures because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.
John 6: 40 (New American Bible)
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.
John 17: 1-5 (New American Bible)
When Jesus had said this, he raised his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on the earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
John 19: 16-18 (New American Bible)
Then he handed him over to be crucified. So they took Jesus and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the place of the skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him.
The empty tomb!
John 20: 8-15 (New American Bible)
Then the other disciples also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned home. But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head, and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they have laid him.” When she had said this she turned around and saw Jesus there. Jesus said to her, “woman why are you weeping?”
Conclusion:
John 21: 25 (New American Bible)
There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.
Like Jesus, you were born with a purpose in mind before you were ever formed in your mother’s womb. In His story you read in the scriptures above, you see His absolute mission unfold. Jesus was not lukewarm, He was not on the fence, He never questioned what God told Him to do. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Jesus to successfully complete his goal? He knew what He was called to do, and He was willing to see it all the way through to completion, even unto death.
Now, I can’t be sure, but I am willing to bet that your mission, your goals, and your dreams will not require as much sacrifice as what Jesus had to endure. However, success does require sacrifice. Success is not easy, it’s very hard.
If you want to have an absolute sense of mission, here are a few tips you can take from the life of Jesus, whose birthday we will soon celebrate.
- Believe that you were born with a purpose
- Trust that you have everything you need to accomplish it
- Count on others to help you achieve it
- Accept that it’s going to be very hard
- Pray for guidance and wisdom
- Persevere know matter what
- Hold on to the hope that the best is yet to come
Merry Christmas!
Article Written By:
Kim Martin, Founder of I’ve Decided INC.
