This is a devotional (January 3) from It’s All about Jesus, the book used for Jesus’ $100,000,000 birthday gift.
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.
Philippians 1:6
Our initial salvation, the continuance of it, and its eternal perfection is wholly related to “he who began a good work in you.” While for each one of us, this growth process is different, there will be a final completion “at the day of Jesus Christ.” I love that phrase.
Right now, His day seems blurry. While in theory we may hold to the Biblical truth that salvation is all God’s work, many times we mix it with “man’s day.” We boast in ourselves, idolize other Christians, and attribute God’s gracious work to mere human beings.
There will come a day, though, that this will vanish. “The day of Jesus Christ” will consume everything that doesn’t exclaim: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Ps. 115:1). We will then realize our proper place, having been utterly dependent on God’s “good work.”
All the pastors who believed that some of their congregation will come to them in heaven, thanking them for their faithful preaching, will know that it was only God who gave the growth. Neither the one who planted nor the one who watered was anything in God’s “good work.”
Instead of waiting till that day, let us now attribute all our right living to the One who is our righteousness? Apart from Jesus, we’ve never performed anything that was acceptable to the Father. He deserves all the glory and honor. Thankfully, His day will never end!
Jan
P.S. will you join Jesus’ $100,000,000 birthday gift? Can you even begin to imagine what can (and will!) be accomplished when Christians around the world unite for a collective birthday gift for Jesus with only $9.99? The sky would be the limit!