“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Phil1.6 NKJV
We are told again and again to place our confidence in the faithfulness of God and not in the fickle frailty of men. This would include of course, trusting in our own energies. Any security that we have before the Judge of all the earth, does not lie in our own good works but in the good work that He has begun and will finished in us. Of course the evidence of His good work in us, is in His good works through us. The proper way to see this, is that it is His work which is the cause of our own. No one would say that it rains because the ground is wet. No, the ground is wet because it rains. So also God works in us to will and do His good pleasure and we work out all that He is working in us. The same apostle who taught us that we are saved not by our works but by grace, also explained that this grace has created us for good works. It is silly to think that there would be no Artist when there is a painting or no painting when there is an Artist.
Now it is of great importance exactly where we put our trust in all this. If I do a good work and trust that such will see me safe through judgment, then I stand on my own record and will in the end be found wanting. But if I stand on the merits of Christ, and in particular His declaration that, “It is finished,” then my trust is in God and I shall not be disappointed. How then do I know that I am trusting Christ? He comes to live in me and of course His abounding goodness will naturally overflow in all that is good.
I am glad the apostle did not say that we would finish what God started. Knowing my record, if this were true I would have no reason to feel confident. Yet, I see Him working faithfulness where there was only fickleness, love where their was only lust. And, I am confident that He will finish what He has started because I see Him working in my garden every day. 7/10/07 ts
Just me trying to be honest with God.
