Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1: 6, NKJV
Dear heavenly Father, it is good to know that if we allow You, You will continue the work that You began in us until it is complete. Thank You Lord; in Jesus’ name. Amen
Have you ever become discouraged as you contemplated your Christian experience? Have you ever felt as if you had not grown as much as you wish you had? Have you ever thought that you will never reach Christian maturity? Well, you are not alone. There are many of us who feel this way, at times. But thank God, there is good news! Our promise for today, is for folk like you and me who want to grow in our Christian experience. When we read the Bible, our first impression is that we are reading about a group of saints, and we are. The Bible personalities that we meet as we turn the pages of Holy Writ, are saints, who “grew up” in Jesus. So will we!
Let us look at, and listen carefully, to what Paul is saying to us in this gem:
Being confident of this very thing… In other words, do not lose sight of this truth; or, do not confuse it with any other. Dwell on this, feed on it, be encouraged by it. Do not allow anyone to tell you otherwise. And not only that, be confident! You can take this to the bank. This is trustworthy.
What is this truth that has Paul so motivated? What is so real that we can be “confident” in it? What is “this very thing?” Listen:
“He who has begun a good work in you [and me] will complete it” There you have it. That is your reality and mine, God is still working on us. Praise God! And just when we believe it cannot get any better, he adds: until the day of Jesus Christ! If we remain in the Potter’s hand, when Christ returns these works of art will be ready to be presented to the Father, “radiant,” without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5: 27). Hallelujah! This only gets better!
I do not know what really excites you in all of this; but let me share the reason for my joy with you: The One who began the good work, will complete it! I am filled with joy to know this; especially in the light of the following: “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to [H]is good purpose” (Philippians 2:13) emphasis provided. Isn’t that wonderful? God prompts you to behave well, and then, He does the behaving in you! He generates in us, the desire to be kind to each other, and as we are surrendered to Him, we become His hands and His feet, to perform His acts of kindness; and His lips to speak words of life. Oh wonderful Savior, blessed Lord!
And this work of perfecting will go on, if we remain surrendered to the Savior, until Jesus appears in glory! All He needs is our will, which He prompts us to surrender to Him, so that He can complete the work which He began. The next time you become discouraged in your Christian experience, or anyone tries to make you feel like a failure, just remind yourself, that God is still working on you, and be blessed!