Thursday 10 August, 2017

1 We, Paul and Timothy, are writing this letter. We serve Christ Jesus. We are sending this letter to you, all God’s holy people in Philippi. You belong to Christ Jesus. We are also sending this letter to your leaders and deacons. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. 5 I am happy because you have joined me in spreading the good news. You have done so from the first day until now. 6 God began a good work in you. And I am sure that he will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you. I love you with all my heart. I may be held by chains, or I may be standing up for the truth of the good news. Either way, all of you share in God’s grace together with me. 8 God is my witness that I long for all of you. I love you with the love that Christ Jesus gives. 9 I pray that your love will grow more and more. And let it be based on knowledge and understanding. 10 Then you will be able to know what is best. Then you will be pure and without blame for the day that Christ returns. 11 You will be filled with the fruit of right living produced by Jesus Christ. All these things bring glory and praise to God.

V6 says – And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT)

This is perhaps one of my favourite verses in the whole bible. It encourages me to know that God is at work in my life. God began the good work. God will finish the good work, and promises that there is coming a day when Christ Jesus will return.

Encouraging stuff.

But the hardest word in this verse is – continue.

Because it means that God is not finished yet, in fact he won’t be finished until the day that Jesus returns. Then and only then will we be made perfect.

Sometimes I wish that God would just finish his work, now.

Some days it’s two steps forward, other days it’s three steps back.

But these are all part of Gods plan and purpose to work things out in my life. It’s not enough to hear or read about what God will do in my life, I have to live it.

But the hope I have in this verse is also in that word continue. It tells me that God won’t give up on me. And that has everything to do with his love for me and nothing to do with my ability or progress.

Thank you God for not giving up on me.   Please, continue.

Written by Andrew Martin