Philippians 1:6
“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.”
Years ago Timber Bay was allowed to use 26 acres west of Buffalo for offices, meetings and activities. You may recall the years we met out there. It was amazing. There was a house overlooking a lake, a pole barn, a creek running through and lots of trees!
When we first arrived though, the place was a mess. It required a ton of cleaning up. What caught my attention while cleaning were unfinished projects. A deck without a floor, a septic system half done, rooms with walls and floors unfinished, doors left off other rooms. Almost everywhere you looked there was something left unfinished.
Well we made the place into a wonderful space and used it for three very good years. We were sad to leave when the owner could no longer afford to keep it.
I’m reminded of those unfinished projects when I consider this Bible verse because it speaks of the completion of a very important work. The work that is going on is in you if you are a follower of Jesus! Which many of you are.
What I mean is that you have admitted you are a sinner and that you are separated from God. You believe that Jesus died for your sins and have put your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of those sins. And you have asked Him to come into your life and save you. When you believed in Jesus the work was started in you.
First of all the work is being done by God! He is all powerful, all knowing, loving, merciful, and mighty.
Years ago I brought my car to a mechanic to fix an oil leak. He should have been able to fix it because he’s the one who put the engine in. He attempted many times but was never able to fix it. So frustrating!
Not so here! God knows you, loves you, and He is the one doing the work!
The work He is doing is good! According to Romans 8:29 God is “conforming us into the image of his Son.” That’s the work He is doing.
I binge watched a show about a company that builds high end swimming pools and spas. At some time during the show the owners of the home come out and view the work site. They usually exclaim how messy and horrible their back yard looks. It’s difficult at this point in the process to have vision for the finished product. There is mud everywhere and it usually looks terrible.
That’s the nature of a project and the same can be said sometimes of the work God is doing in us. It can look messy, confusing, and unfinished. According to Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.
Even when it looks messy and confusing God is working in you and the work is good!
He will finish the work. The Greek word we’ve translated “complete” means perfect. In other words when He is done it will be perfect and complete.