“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.” PHILIPPIANS 1:6
Sometimes we are too focused on the outcome of our growth, and we tend to forget that there is always a process first. For instance, when we ask God for patience, He will not automatically grant us patience, right? But instead, He will allow instances in our life that will force us to practice our patience. This is no different from our walk with God.
There are times when we feel as though we aren’t making progress anymore, that we aren’t becoming any better as a follower of Jesus. We feel stuck with where we are and who we are as a person. We think God has left us to do all the work within ourselves. But here are some truths to be able to attain the wonderful future that the Lord has prepared for us:
First, real growth is rooted in the grace that He has started in our lives, and our future depends upon this rootedness in God through Christ. We will never make spiritual progress without, first and foremost, His grace.
We are so blessed that His grace is made available to anyone who needs it. All we have to do is ask forgiveness for our sins and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior. But we must understand that for His grace to ultimately work in our lives, we must first surrender the desires of our flesh.
Second, God promises to complete whatever He has started in us. Paul the Apostle was so confident in God’s ability to complete that work, and we must also be. God has never brought us this far to leave us hanging for nothing. When you feel frustrated, disappointed, discouraged by your lapses, remember that if God Himself won’t give up on you, why would you? He promises that His grace is always sufficient for you as He will finish the work he has begun in your life
Lastly, this will only last forever when lovingly shared with others. If God’s grace is indeed a gift, we should not keep it to ourselves. We have a mission to share it with other imperfect people. So we must continue to be a channel of His love and grace until the day Jesus comes again.
