Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
With the coming end of 2020, there is one promise from Scripture that we all can take comfort in, as Paul stated in his letter to his dear friends in the church at Philippi. God has a divine and specific purpose for you and will complete what He has begun within you. “God will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put his finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Philip. 1:6 TPT. Becoming mature in the Lord does not happen overnight. It does not occur instantly because it is a process that takes place inside our hearts and mind and continues until we see Jesus face-to-face.
When Saul was chasing David down, David fled into a cave and prayed, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” Psalm 57:2. David did not take revenge upon Saul, for he knew that God’s provision would be to remove Saul eventually. Then again in Psalm 138:8, David praises God for His constant care and protection and sang, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the works of your hands.” Paul, in Ephesians 1:6, echoes this verse, of God’s sustaining power over our lives.
God gave me a recent reminder that He is compassionate, faithful, and will fulfill His purpose for me even within my work. He will bring completion through His divine and appointed circumstances, proving His attributes of goodness, faithfulness, presence, defender, counselor, wisdom, merciful, sustainer, and redeemer in an impossible situation. I had that experience just last week. God took a significant and unpleasant conflict that occurred with my second-largest customer and turned it into a miraculous provision for another customer of mine that was not even in my top 20 in the ranking of sales. When I read an email this man sent me on a Tuesday at 8:00 PM, I could not believe my eyes! He rarely answers my emails or phone calls, and here he was reaching out to me! He asked to buy the very product that my number two customer had piling up in our warehouse because their machine broke down and would not be up and running again until July, so their shipments had to be diverted to our warehouse and take up warehouse space, adding to the cost of the product. That was a God moment of an astounding answer to prayer that I could have never imagined happening in partially alleviating and providing the perfect solution.
Do you have a child that you thought you had trained up in the way they should go (Prov. 22:6) when they were young, but you are not currently seeing it lived out? Ask God to give you a glimpse of how God is completing His excellent work in your child by His presence, provision, and protection in their life. Pray that he or she will have a sensitive and open heart and mind to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Then thank God for His faithfulness.
How has God been working in your life this past year? God is doing a work in and through your life, and it will not be completed until Christ returns. God is still at work in completing the process of maturing you in Christ through His provision, protection, and presence in your life, and that takes time. So don’t miss God’s point in developing you into becoming a better person, turning your weak points into strengths, in setting you in His process of completion for His glory. Remember, God knows you by name (Isa. 43:1). “God has a whole lot invested in you. He’s chosen you. He’s redeemed you. He’s training you – and He’s going to perfect that which He’s begun, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes.” Jon Courson. Application Commentary.
“This is the competitive advantage you possess in your life. It is Christ in you, teaching you how to pray, transforming you as you read His Word (Rom. 12:1-2), instructing you with the wisdom you ask Him for, and walking with you everywhere you go!” Linda Killian, Eliminating The Greener Grass Trap. Quitting The Habit Of Comparisons. Chapter 21, “Let It Go!” Pages 145-146.
Listen to Natalie Grant – Face To Face (Official Music Video) 8/18/20.