Be Encouraged

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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 1:3-6 NIV)

I was a sophomore in high school and, to that point, had not really excelled in anything.  I struggled in math, had been cut after my first tryout with the basketball team, and was finding it difficult to find my place in the social hierarchy of high school.  I felt like the proverbial fish out of water.  At that point, I wasn’t sure my life was going to amount to much.

Then one day during my Creative Writing class, the teacher, having read our latest story submissions, asked me to read mine.  She said it was the best in the class.  All I remember about the story was it was a sappy tale about two teenagers in love.  But I do remember vividly how I felt being singled out for praise and to hear the teacher say she believed I could be a good writer, something I had aspired to be.  It was exhilarating to receive that praise and to have someone believe in me.  

I can imagine the Philippian believers felt similarly when they heard these words from Paul.  It was not an easy time for them.  They faced persecution on all sides—from the government, from the Jews, and from their fellow citizens who rejected Christianity as a strange cult.  I think confidence in their newfound faith was very low.  But when they heard Paul’s words of encouragement, I can imagine their confidence soared.  He believed God had done something significant in their lives but had only just begun.  He was going to finish what He started!

Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged in our journey of following Jesus.  We no longer see the dramatic growth we saw when we first began, and our excitement has diminished.  We wonder, perhaps, if this whole “Christian thing” was over-hyped.  Is God still at work in us? Paul’s answer to the Philippians is our answer as well.  Yes, the Lord is at work in us and He will continue working until He has finished what He started!

Today, know that the God who started a good work in you is not finished yet.  Regardless of how you may feel now, He is still at work in you and is going to complete what He started.  So be encouraged.  You will one day be the person He originally created you to be.

© Jim Musser 2016