Completion

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 ESV).

I’ve always had the tendency to start something, get distracted by something else and not finish the first thing. It’s not that I don’t find the first thing worth doing, it just seems like the next thing is more important. I am getting better. After all, I started this blog over a year ago and I have not turned back after putting my hand to the plow.

We all likely get our priorities out of whack from time to time. It’s a human thing to do. But, thankfully, God never gets His priorities wrong.

The pastoral staff at church has been actively promoting a process—it’s now a part of the membership process—called a Post-It Note Timeline. The process involves writing down the important moments of one’s life and putting them in order. The idea, as I understand it, is that the timeline helps you to see how the Lord has been actively at work in your life. I confess that I have yet to officially complete a timeline, but I have worked the concept many times throughout the years.

It is encouraging when we recognize the Lord’s hand upon us in both the good times and the bad. Lessons learned through hard-fought battles are seldom forgotten. And the elation of mountain-top moments is so much sweeter when we recognize God’s blessings that brought us to those moments.

It is true, that we often fail to recognize His presence or His hand as we walk through dark valleys in life. But that doesn’t mean that He is absent or apathetic!

We all recognize God’s presence in our lives at least some of the time—we wouldn’t care about mindful discipleship if we didn’t. So it is clear that God has, at least, begun a good work in us, right? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).

While I may have a difficult time maintaining focus on works that I have begun, the same cannot be said for God. In fact, even when “we are faithless, he remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13 ESV). He is unshakable! And He always finishes what He starts.

So, Paul’s words to the Philippians should bring us great encouragement. When we feel defeated or discouraged, we should remember that God is not finished with us. We should also be encouraged that we are not a short-term goal for Him. God will continue to shape us and mold us through scripture, prayer, brothers and sisters in Christ, and all that life may throw at us…until “the day of Christ Jesus.”

Blessings on your day!