God’s Not Finished Yet
Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
In college, I worked at a soft-serve ice cream shop near the campus. Swirling the ice cream into the cone as it came from the machine was more of an art than I imagined. Knowing when to shut off the machine before the top-heavy mound of ice cream toppled onto the counter led to many redos. My first few days on the job were messy and frustrating, but eventually I mastered the required skill set.
Learning a new skill takes time and repetition. Learning to be like Jesus? That requires divine intervention. Fortunately, before Jesus returned to heaven, he promised to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-14). Through the Spirit’s indwelling guidance and power, we can become more like Jesus. The fancy theological word for this process is sanctification. As the apostle Paul writes, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”
The good work begun in us is salvation. When we accepted Jesus’s gift of forgiveness, we were justified. Our sins were forgiven, and our relationship with God was restored. We didn’t start the work of salvation, and we can’t finish it either. Instead, we release control and let the Spirit do his job.
As we allow him access to the garden of our heart, he pulls out the weeds of sin and self. He plants seeds of righteousness, which bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Through sanctification, we develop a new mindset and a new skill set. As Paul told young Pastor Timothy, we become “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).
If I’m in a restaurant that has a self-serve soft ice cream machine, I can still serve up a symmetrical swirled cone with the signature curl at the top. As the Spirit continues his work in me, I’m confident I’ll walk through heaven’s gate with the mindset and skill set God envisioned and designed for me before I was born.
The Spirit who is completing his work in me is also completing his work in you. Be patient. Be malleable. When you arrive in heaven, you’ll be exactly who you were designed to be too.
How does that amazing truth transform the way you see yourself?
Dig Deeper
In Philippians 1:6, Paul says he is “confident” God will complete the work in us. What gave him such confidence? Read verses 3–11. What was he praying for the Philippians? Are you praying that way for yourself and others?
According to Philippians 2:12–16, what characteristics and behaviors move us toward becoming “blameless and pure”?
What other counsel does Paul give Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14–26? In what ways do you need to apply that counsel?
You may also want to read Justification and Glorification.
Denise K. Loock