When two Scriptures are so beautifully paired, God speaks and teaches and delivers His truth into my heart.
“So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
(Romans 10:17, NLT)
“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.” (Philippians 1:6, NLT)
The two Scriptures combined boiled it down to one simple truth …
The more we hear [read] God’s Word, the more our faith will grow.
I need to remain teachable and open to the correction of God’s Word by His Holy Spirit. God will continue to work in my life all of my days.
He is still working in me. God takes the initiative in our lives and can be trusted to complete that which He starts. We must remember that this process of growth in our lives is just that – a process – an ongoing process.
In this verse, Paul looks back to the beginning of God’s work in our lives (our salvation) and then looks all the way forward, into eternity, to the completion of the process which will occur at the end of the age, which is when Christ returns.
“God not only initiates salvation, but continues it and guarantees its consummation … Paul is asserting that God will bring his work to completion. Nothing in this life or after death will prevent the successful accomplishment of God’s good work in every Christian.”
(from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11, page 105)
God is committed to finish that which He starts. It is a process and whether in us as individuals, or in a ministry, it is an ongoing process. We may be unfinished but He is still at work in us. Nothing can keep God from successfully accomplishing His good work. Nothing.
“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” (Romans 8:35, NLT)
And the answer is:
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love … indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38, 39b, NLT)
May we convinced. Nothing will ever be able to separate us from God’s vast love for us and because of His love for us, He is committed to finish what He has started in our lives.
We are yet unfinished and when we are finished,
He will take us home!
Prayer: Lord, this morning I praise you and thank you that you are still at work in my life, and in the lives of your people. Your work is never done and yet, you never give up on us. Thank you for being committed to keep on faithfully and purposefully working in us. Give us an unquenchable desire for your Word, but more so, help us to always be teachable, changing and growing under your tutelage. Amen.
Today I am joining … #DreamTogether and Moments of Hope and Soul Survival and Inspire Me Monday and #RaRaLinkup .
Dear Joanne, it’s so easy to get in a hurry or frustrated in the process of becoming, isn’t it? My mom was a seamstress. She taught me that the important work was on the inside of a garment, and you couldn’t tell what it would look like until the very end. Praise God, for the work He’s doing on the inside of us! Have a blessed day!
Alice, I love that you brought the reminder of the inside of a garment. So very true!
So many beautiful connections in the Word of God! We’ll spend the rest of our lives finding and enjoying!
So very true, Michele. We can get a fresh word every single time we open the pages.
What a beautiful prayer, Joanne! Thank you for the encouragement–you have blessed me today!