Today's Bible Reading: PHILEMON 1:1-25; PHILIPPIANS 1:1-2:11
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
God will finish what He starts. This is a great encouragement for struggling saints. It gives hope to those who find themselves stalled spiritual. It gives confidence for those who experience overwhelming adversity. It strengthens the ones whose besetting sins baffle them. It brings help to those who want to walk away from the faith. It gives reassurance to those who can’t see the sovereign still working. God’s not done until your dead. He is still working on you. He might be pruning you, perfecting you or preparing you, but He is not through with you. Your clay has yet to dry in the potter’s hand. He is still conforming you into the image of His son.
We may not see the work of His hand, but His hand is always working. Like a potter with the clay working to form a beautiful vessel so the divine potter still his you on His wheel. He is working out defects. He is working His design. He is creating you and crafting you according to His will.
This fosters great confidence in us. When we struggle, He’s still working. When we stumble, He’s still working. When we stray, He’s still working. When we get stalled, He’s still working. No matter what occurs in our life, He is behind the scenes working. We may even give up on ourselves and others may give up on us, but He never gives up on us. We can “be sure” that whatever befalls us become the building blocks for His workings in us. He is always working to complete us. He is always laboring to bring us to the measure of a mature believer. He’s not done yet.
It would be different if we were the reason for our spiritual life. If we began our walk of faith and if it was our work, then, like many unfinished projects, relationships and areas of our life, we could easily walk away. We could simply give up. We could concede. We could surrender. We could stop. When things get tough, we could just quit.
But the Lord began our spiritual journey with our new birth. It is by His grace we were redeemed. It was through Christ that we were brought in. His working for us started this process. It drew us to Himself. It disclosed the gospel. It delivered us. He is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). He began the work of faith in us. He will continue His work in us and He will complete it. It is by faith we came to Him. It is by faith we will continue in Him. It is by faith that we recognize that He is still working in us and by faith that we understand that He will bring His work to completion. We are a work in progress. He’s not done with us yet! Trust him to complete it!
Today praise God for beginning a good work in you. Thank Him that no matter what you do or have done, His work of conforming you into the image of His son will continue until He takes you home to glory. Ask Him to help you be pliable clay for Him to mold and fashion for His purpose and His glory. Thank Him that He is not done yet.
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