God will bring to completion what He has started

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

  • The good work God has begun…reassuring isn’t it, He has begun, means He isn’t finished with us yet! We are all just works in progress. Like clay in the hand of the potter, He continues to mold and shape, smooth out the rough edges, until we are all He desires us to be. Jeremiah 18:4-6 says, “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” (Just for fun, put your name in place of Israel, reassuring isn’t it? Knowing we are clay in the hands of the potter)🙂
  • Another verse from Isaiah 45:9(NIV) says, ““Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?”
  • I want to reflect on this verse for a moment, specifically where it says, “does the clay say to the potter, ‘what are you making?’”
  • Put yourself in the position of the clay. Couldn’t you just see it asking that question? Hey you, what are you doing? I kind of like that flaw. Why are you smoothing out my rough edges, it gives me character. Would you stop pinching me, it hurts. I don’t like what you’re molding me to be, I don’t want to be a coffee mug, I’d rather be a plate. 
  • But in all seriousness, don’t we do the same thing? We question what God is doing? We complain about minor inconveniences. Instead of trusting the process, we rush ahead of God, take matters into our own hands. We grow impatient when we don’t see the changes we desire, we complain that God is too slow. Or we throw up our hands in defeat and give up. Sometimes I wonder if God just looks at me and shakes His head. It is difficult to wait. “So, my child, draw your strength from the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭CEB‬‬
  • ‭‭ Paul also speaks of confidence, in the verse from  Philippians, not in ourselves, but in God to bring it to completion. Confident in our relationship with Him. Confident that He will do what He says He’ll do. Being confident in God sounds a lot like trusting; having faith in His promises. So why do I struggle to be perfect? Why do I think it’s all up to me? When God clearly says, in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God…”, Be still…cease striving; relax; let go, trust that God is in control, He has a plan and purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). He is the one, as Philippians 2:13 says, who “works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” So, no matter how many times we mess up or fall along the way, we can be confident “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”:)

 

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