He Began the Work // let Him finish it
The blog posts have not been coming as regular as they once did and as a result there are ton of thoughts swirling in the brain-housing-group, but I wanted to drop a little thought out there that is neither profound or long, but is helping me be intentional about where I’m at and what I’m doing.
In prayer last week, the Spirit impressed on me Philippians 1.6: “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” As I meditated on that verse, I was overwhelmed with a sense of conviction that I have been making every attempt to carry on His good work to completion. Its no wonder that success was not evidenced in every moment; my pride wanted to carry on a work that I did not own.
As I journaled what I felt the Spirit saying to me, I wrote, “This is Your work, You began it and You will complete it. Help me to not pick up and carry the work that is Yours to complete.” It has been somewhat of a mantra for me. It reminds me of Paul’s words to the Galatians, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” The work is not a matter of me accomplishing something but continues to be a work of grace. Paul is consistent in teaching us this. Don’t be so foolish to think that what was done in you in the beginning by the Spirit can now we attained by human effort.
What was perhaps the most profound and sort of the undercurrent of this post is that I realized this verse, while speaking of a beginning and an end, and while it certainly carries initiation and fulfillment ideas, it is truly about what happens in the middle. That is, Paul is saying that Christ will “carry it,” namely the work of salvation, to completion. He is not just saying, ultimately this will happen one day. He is saying that Christ who began a good work in you is carrying it to the end, meaning that He is constantly at work aiming to effect change in you. He is leading you to towards yours/my next steps that will ultimately lead us to a glorious conclusion. The Message states this clearly by paraphrasing the verse as such, “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” He has started a work and He is going to “keep at it.” Why is it that I feel the need to circumvent His working and attempt to carry on to completion something that is impossible for me to do? I think the answers would be far too long to record here, but I’m certain it comes down to my pride, wanting the glory to be mine. But, I don’t own that either, as all glory belongs to Him.
Cease striving, relent to His will, let Him who began a good work in you do as He wills and carry on that work to completion, do not stand in the way attempting to affect an outcome that is not yours to affect.
