Welcome to Day 79 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series is about taking scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses) and building our understanding of their teachings through their context and connecting scripture. I believe that doing this helps us understand how to be the type of human that God created us to be.
Today’s scripture is Philippians 1:6. We’ll discuss the good work God begins and continues for eternity.
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
God starts our salvation, our rescue from the bondage we have with sin, and continues his transforming work in us throughout our life, finishing when we reach our eternal lives in heaven. God’s work started when he sent Jesus Christ to die in our place. His work begins with us when we first believe. God sent Jesus to the work to show what his teachings were about and how to live the lives that God created us to live. However, humans have a sinful nature, meaning we are often living a life that misses the mark of being Christ-like. When we decide that God’s path is more favorable than the world, God begins his work in us. Our heart changes into an upside-down foundation from what we once knew. The more we lean into this new heart posture and study to understand and apply his teachings, the more we will continue growing until our earthly lives are done. This process continues until our earthly bodies pass away and our souls are taken to a life in heaven.
The Holy Spirit lives within us here on earth, allowing us to become more like Christ daily. Paul is talking about becoming more like him, which started when we accepted him as our Lord and Savior and will continue until we join him in heaven. God helps us grow in grace until the work he’s created us to accomplish is finished. When you feel discouraged about where you are in life or the direction your life is going, remember that God has not and will not give up on you. There’s nothing that you can do in this world that will make God stop loving you. The way that the world can turn on us when we get into the wrong spot and our mental health starts to crumble is not how our heavenly Father operates. God loves us with all of our flaws, with all of our shortcomings, with all of our problems. Our views of ourselves or how others view us should not be the final picture. How God sees us is where our value is found, and he sees us as a masterpiece, his children, his chosen people, his ambassadors, and more. I encourage you to read my “Who I Am” series from last year, which discusses the different things God calls us. Don’t let your situation rob you of the joy of knowing who Jesus is and the relationship that can significantly change your life.
Paul shares with us a glimpse of the power of that relationship in 1 Corinthians 1:7-9. We will later focus on verse 8 for today’s devotional but verses 7 and 9 provide needed context.
7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Before tackling the problems, Paul wanted to share this hope for the Corinthians. He guaranteed the believers that God would keep them strong to the end of their days and consider them free from all blame when Christ returns. Paul shared this guarantee not because of their abilities, spiritual gifts, or shining performances but because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for them through his death and resurrection.
All who believe in Jesus are in a partnership with him and will be considered blameless when he returns. This partnership forgives all the sins we committed in our earthly lives. We will not be at fault because of them. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE GET CART BLANCHE TO DO WHATEVER WE WANT IN LIFE. This means that there’s no guilt or shame. This means that there will always be forgiveness when we mess up. This partnership requires us to love God with all of who we are and to love our neighbors as Jesus loved us. This partnership requires actions from both parties to fulfill their agreement or covenant if we view it in a spiritual sense. Today’s struggles, difficulties, and failures don’t tell the whole story about this covenant. Keep the big picture in mind. If you have faith in Jesus, even mustard-seed size faith, you are and will be saved.
Father God, thank you for the work you have done, are doing, and will do for us. We don’t stop enough to express our gratitude, but we are so thankful. We know the work never stops, even when we don’t like continuing. In those moments, God, give us the strength, wisdom, and endurance to fight the good fight and stay on the path you have created for us. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.
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