Completed Work

Philippians 1:6 is Tasha’s life verse.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Yesterday, as I was reading through the Psalms, I came across a verse in Psalm 138 that reminded me a lot of Philippians 1:6. I guess it could probably be considered the Old Testament equivalent.

Here it is: Psalm 138:8 – “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”

There are several things that God is teaching me from this:

1. The focus is on God, not us.

I think there’s a tendency to focus on the “you” of Philippians 1:6 and the “me” of Psalm 138:8 to the exclusion of God who is the one doing and performing and completing that good work. We need to reverse that tendency.

2. The good that comes out of our lives is only because of Him and through Him and for Him.

We can take no credit for it. We are his workmanship. We are the poem He is writing. We are the clay He is molding. Can the clay say to His master, “why did you make me like this?” (Isaiah 29:16).

3. How we define "good" may not be how God defines it.

Matthew Henry said that God knows “that which is most needful for me; and he knows best what is so. We are careful and cumbered about many things that do not concern us, but he knows what are the things that really are of consequence to us (Mt. 6:32) and he will order them for the best.”

4. God sees his work through to the end.

Right now around my house, I can think of at least 10 unfinished projects that I’ve begun but not finished. I got sidetracked. I had other things come up. I had to watch 24. Things like that. Not so with God. He sees things through to the end – to their fulfillment – to their consummation.

If God was more like me when it comes to finishing things . . .