John 13:12-20 Where is your ambition taking you? It is good and right to be passionate and driven; to desire and work hard towards accomplishing worthy goals. However, questions haunt us: How do we know we are not wasting our life on the wrong things? In the wrong ways? For the wrong reasons? Even hurting or neglecting those around us we are called to love.
Last week we started a four week series focusing on John 13-17. The first half of the Gospel of John follows Jesus’ mostly public interactions, teachings, and miracles over the course of years. John 13-17 takes place over just a few hours in one little room. It’s private. It’s small. It’s quiet. These are the final words, the final instructions, of Jesus to a small group of his closest followers tucked way in an upper room in the corner of Jerusalem.
Jesus tells them, "I am leaving. I have important work for you to do, and this is how you are going to find the strength to get it done."
We saw last week that as Jesus’ followers, both then and now, we are to continue his work. You are continuing the work of Jesus. I asked you to say to yourself this week right before you move into that new task, or project, or conversation, “I am continuing the work of Jesus with these people, in this situation, in this place.” Did you try it? Did it change how you thought about those people, how you approached that situation, or how you felt about that place? You are continuing the work of Jesus. But how?
This week we begin to answer the how. Jesus gives us a stirring picture, challenging and inspiring. Not only does this picture give us a beautiful pattern to follow, it actually redeems our ambition and saves us from wasting our life.
I can’t wait to hear from Jesus and worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David