“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.” Philippians 1:6
The Beginning
We all have projects to start, to-do lists to get to. Most of these will produce results in the short-term. Not many people plan for the long-term or work hard for results they’ll see years down the road. Not many live with the end of their life in mind. But God has made plans from eternity, for eternity. God did not create this world and humanity with a vague notion of what He intended and hoped to accomplish, nor of what He desired and longed to see. God’s heart is to see sinful man reconciled to Himself. This is the great work of salvation accomplished for us through Jesus Christ who loved us (Galatians 2:20). This is the good work Paul speaks of. It is a work which only God could have thought of. It is a work which only God could both begin and bring to pass. It is a work of forgiveness and justification - the penalty of our sins paid for by the blood of Jesus and our sinfulness replaced by His righteousness. We are not only forgiven, but we are accepted.
The End
Having been saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, we are given a new heart, a new nature, a new life. We gratefully and lovingly obey the call and command of Jesus to follow Him. We long to live holy lives and our behavior is simply the fruit of the new life that Jesus lives through us (Gal. 2:20) by the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:3). It is God who works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). As we grow in our understanding of who He is, His purpose for us individually and corporately as His Church becomes clear: to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As heavenly citizens we long for our Savior’s return (Phil. 3:20), yet eagerly live our lives for Him on earth, since our salvation also means fruitful labor in the field of life assigned to us (Phil. 1:22-24). Whether this field be our family, friends, work, ministry, etc., the goal and purpose remains the same: that the name of Jesus would be proclaimed (Phil. 2:10-11).
The Beginning and The End,
Jesus Christ
God has begun what only He could, and He will complete what only He can. Paul says that God’s work in you will be completed on the day Jesus returns. Have you ever thought about that? No matter how you feel right now, no matter what you think will happen and no matter how little or how much you understand, when Jesus returns God will have accomplished everything He intended to accomplish in and through you. On that day the grace and love of God will fill all, cover all and make clear how all your successes and failures worked together for your good and God’s glory. All of this will have been accomplished from beginning to end because of Jesus. He is the Beginning and the End of God’s glory, purpose and will.
So strain forward to what lies ahead and press on toward the goal (Phil. 3:12-14): your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20).
Recent Comments