Phillipians 1:6 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. 

This scripture stopped me in my tracks the other day. I have heard it many times before, but this time was different. This time the words got my attention. I want to take a moment to break it down because it is just so beautiful. It shows God’s amazing provision and plan for us. The verse reiterates how faithful he is toward his goals for us. God also reminds us of the ultimate victory….Christ’s return….lest we forget the bigger plan in all of this. ALL of these amazing promises in ONE verse!

First of all GOD! GOD began the good work. It isn’t OUR toiling to achieve that is accomplishing anything worthy, it is God. As if our Lord began with each of us as a lump of clay, he is forming us through every movement. God is slowly forming us into what HE created each of us for. Are we meldable or are we already hardened? I don’t want to be too hard to mold, but if I am honest there are many times that I have not been bendable in ANY direction. Even during these times God is patient  and is continuing to work things out for HIS purposes. 

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

God BEGAN the good work, which means that it is a process. There are no magic wands in Christ, we are ALL a work in progress. A work that God began and will continue to work in and through us every moment of our life. Some days that makes me weary to think about, but it should encourage us that God is NOT ABOUT TO LEAVE US WHERE WE ARE! I am INCREDIBLY grateful that we have a God that loves us enough not to allow us to stay stuck in the muck.

Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. ³ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

God, who began the GOOD work within YOU! I am so humbled to have a Father that created me to do good works. There have been many who have tried to lead me astray, who did not want to lead me towards good. Corrupted by selfishness, deceit and power they attempted to create sadness, anger, bitterness and other evils within me and may have nearly succeeded if it weren’t that God created us for GOOD!

Ephesians 2:3-5, 10 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

God who began a good work WITHIN YOU. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. It is beyond my comprehension to understand the power of God being within me and not destroying me. Take a moment and just ponder this for a few seconds….. God WITHIN us as a human vessel. How can we not be in awe of this? 

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 

God who began a good work within you will CONTINUE HIS WORK UNTIL IT IS FINISHED. This gives me incredible peace. There are so many things in my day that go uncompleted and sometimes when I think about my own growth and recovery I wonder if any progress is made at all. Sometimes I fret about whether I am even headed in the correct direction, but God says he will keep molding me until his work within me is FINISHED! It is hard to wrap my head around “being finished”, but God’s work says one day I will be a finished masterpiece in God’s eyes. This scripture assures me that the lump of clay that I began as, sometimes hardened and unmoldable with no vision for the final sculpture, isn’t going to get stuck as an incomplete creation. God has a plan for me. God has a vision for my life. God isn’t going to walk away and forget the purpose he created me for. God is faithful to finish the good work within both you and me and on that beautiful day Christ will return and the good work will be perfectly complete in his eyes. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.