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November 9th 2023
Scripture
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6 NIV
Devotion
The main purpose of this letter was to thank the Philippians for the gift they had sent to Paul and to strengthen the believers by showing them that true joy comes from Jesus Christ alone.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I was often asked that question as a child by my father. And the answers changed like the wind. A doctor, a teacher, a missionary, worship leader, a physicist, and so on and so forth. Now, as a dad of two, I think of how difficult it must be for them to be asked that question. There are times when I want to tell my firstborn daughter (named after my mother Annah), “I know what you’ll be great at!”
Parents can sometimes see more in their children than the children can see in themselves. This resonates with what Paul saw in the believers at Philippi—those he loved and prayed for (Philippians 1:3). He could see the end; he knew what they’d be when all was said and done.
The Bible gives us a grand vision of the end of the story—resurrection and the renewal of all things (see 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 21). But it also tells us who’s writing the story. The God who began the good work in us continues it throughout our lifetime and will finish it when we meet Him face to face. God’s work in us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. In our verse of the day, Paul is describing the process of Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus and continues until Christ returns.
In the opening lines of his letter from prison, Paul reminded the church at Philippi that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Jesus started the work and He’ll complete it. The word ‘completion’ is particularly important—the story doesn’t just end, for God leaves nothing unfinished.
All we need to do is to obey God in every situation and circumstance because He knows our beginning and our end.
Inspirational Image of the Day
