(Peter’s book is available on Amazon. Just click on the link: It Is Finished by Peter-John Courson)

Why Peter-John Courson Wrote This Book

The first sentence of the book reads: “When I was twenty years old I lost my life.” Peter goes on to describe how

, when he was twenty years old, he contracted malaria while on a mission trip to Vanuatu. That bout of malaria somehow compromised his immune system in such a way that he developed Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s comes in varying degrees of intensity but Peter’s Crohn’s has been particularly diabolical. He’s been forty pounds underweight and then forty pounds overweight within a just few months. He’s had a section of his intestine removed. He’s spent August afternoons inside his car with the heat on its highest setting just to keep warm. (Courson)

(As you may already know, Peter recently had surgery to remove abscesses from his brain, one the size of an egg. This week he started to learn how to use a walker and a wheelchair. His comprehension is much improved but he still has difficulty expressing himself. I share that only to encourage those who are praying for Peter and his family to continue to pray.)

Are You Doing Enough?

So yes, he did lose his life, the life of health he had before that mosquito-borne disease entered his system.  He’s waged a war against Crohn’s for the better part of two decades. As a result he’s fatigued. And with that fatigue a question came to Peter. And it’s a question that comes to every one of us.

The question is, “Am I doing enough?”

If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, if you ever lay awake at night wondering if you’re doing enough, as a mom, or as a dad, or at work, or, in the eyes of God Himself, then this book is for you.

7 Stops

Peter takes us on a journey through scripture exploring seven places where we learn about “God’s Finished work of the Cross,” and how that helps us to live life from a place of rest. Courson writes, “This mission to justify ourselves through what we do and who we are will inevitably become a matter of comparison and, a universal beauty pageant of sorts.” He points out how the world we live in is all about proving oneself. But Jesus didn’t live that way. When the Devil tempted him to make bread from stones, Jesus refused. However, later we see Jesus create bread supernaturally to feed the five thousand. But not to prove himself in anyway, his reason was to meet the need of the people. Every time we see anyone ask Jesus for a sign, or to jump through one hoop or another to prove himself, Jesus declines. (Courson)

Courson writes, “The Gospel preaches that there is nothing left for you to prove! The sign that Jesus gave for validation of both His and, as a result ours, was His rising from the dead.” And of course that was the only sign.

Paradoxically, a focus on the Finished work of the Cross results in more fruit and more work produced than if we focus on the work itself. “By focusing on the Finished work of the Cross, we become more like Jesus by surprise. It is holiness by accident, in a certain sense.” (Courson)

We see examples of God’s grace, God’s rest, and God’s finished work throughout the book. Among these seven stops we see the Finished work on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, inside Noah’s ark, at the Lord’s table, and in heaven.

My Take

Courson’s book is the answer to the cult of busy-ness that so many of us get sucked into today. Focusing and resting in the “Finished work of the Cross gets us off the treadmill of trying to make our own name and forge our own identity” in our own energy.

This book resonated strongly with me because for too long I was chronically overcommitted and overscheduled, trying to prove myself, trying to do enough. But it was never enough.

Read this book if you’ve ever struggled with the internal feeling that you’re not doing enough. Read this book if you’re like me, and you’re fighting that “Am I doing enough?” battle within your mind and heart. If you’re fighting that battle, It Is Finished provides 7 stops where you can find rest in Jesus.

Matthew 11:29

If you want to purchase Peter’s book you can buy it on Amazon. Just click on the link: It Is Finished by Peter-John Courson