He Will Complete It

Paul writes with confidence, not in the Philippians' ability to keep themselves, but in God's commitment to finish what He started: "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it." The Christian life is a good work that God began. You did not initiate it; He did, breaking into your life by grace. And the One who began it has pledged to bring it to completion, all the way to "the day of Jesus Christ." He is not a builder who lays a foundation and wanders off; He finishes what He starts.

This is enormous comfort for everyone discouraged by their own slow progress and repeated failures. We look at how far we still have to go, how often we stumble over the same sins, how unfinished we feel, and we wonder whether we will ever get there. But our perseverance does not finally rest on our reliability; it rests on God's faithfulness to complete His own work. He will not abandon the project halfway. The God who began the good work in you is committed to seeing it through.

When you are discouraged by your unfinished state today, take heart: the One who began the work in you will complete it. You are a work in progress in the hands of a faithful God.