"...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 1:6
Christians can have so many sins, scars, and ungodly habits that the goal of holy living can seem overwhelmingly distant and difficult. That was certainly true of me. I understood that Jesus died to close that immense gap between the Lord and me in terms of relationship, yet I knew God wanted to sanctify me as part of my walk with Him. Somewhere in my soul, I kept thinking, "I will give up, and even if I don't give up—the Lord will grow impatient with me and give up on me."
Then the Lord showed me Philippians 1:6. In it, the Lord promises never to give up on us even if we stop trying. At times in my walk, I have certainly fallen back into sinful habits. Yet the Lord did not leave me there. He let me take no joy in my old ways. I had given up on some areas of my life, but God kept working on other areas until I was ready for that aspect of my life to be reformed. God has never given up on me or let me give up on myself. The Christian I am today is one who leads a much more Christlike life, and I can be assured that God will continue to work on me "until the day of Christ Jesus." Thank You, Lord!
Christians can have so many sins, scars, and ungodly habits that the goal of holy living can seem overwhelmingly distant and difficult. That was certainly true of me. I understood that Jesus died to close that immense gap between the Lord and me in terms of relationship, yet I knew God wanted to sanctify me as part of my walk with Him. Somewhere in my soul, I kept thinking, "I will give up, and even if I don't give up—the Lord will grow impatient with me and give up on me."
Then the Lord showed me Philippians 1:6. In it, the Lord promises never to give up on us even if we stop trying. At times in my walk, I have certainly fallen back into sinful habits. Yet the Lord did not leave me there. He let me take no joy in my old ways. I had given up on some areas of my life, but God kept working on other areas until I was ready for that aspect of my life to be reformed. God has never given up on me or let me give up on myself. The Christian I am today is one who leads a much more Christlike life, and I can be assured that God will continue to work on me "until the day of Christ Jesus." Thank You, Lord!