Work in Progress

Read: Philippians 1

"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." Philippians 1:6

Examine:

In this letter Paul will challenge the Church at Philippi to live their lives in a manner worthy of Christ. He will raise the bar of their commitment and will likely confront some things in their lives that will need to change. In this verse there are a couple of reminders that he gives to the church right of the bat: 1) He is confident that they will make it. 2) It was God who started the work in them. 3.) God would be faithful to complete the work.

Apply:

I sometimes think of my salvation as something that was in my past. It is very tempting to think my ticket to eternity has been punched, my sins are covered by grace, and I can just chill-out until the end. That is not the case. God has only just begun. My relationship with Him and the transformation of my life did not become complete when I professed Christ as Savior and Lord. My salvation was complete and my sins were taken away but the process of discipleship only began when I became saved. It is critical for me to remember that I am not done. God has a mighty work left to do in me and through me.

Pray:

I am a work in progress and I want to work and progress this week. As we journey together through the book of Philippians over the next few days, I give to You my heart, my mind, my emotions and my preferences. I ask that You give me wisdom and understanding as to the things inside of me that You want to change, redirect, tear down or build up. Raise the bar and increase the stakes for me this week. Move me deeper into Your heart and divide me further from the world around me. Fill me deeper with Your love and allow the light of Christ to radiate more brightly through me. Calm the fears that this prayer creates inside of me and help me find the courage to boldly live out the faith You planted in me.