A Work in Progress

Chuckle: "I always use notes when I preach, in case I say something I want to remember!"

Quote: "In God, we live every commonplace as well as the most exalted moment of our being. To trust in him when no need is pressing, when things seem to be going right of themselves, may be harder than when things seem to be going wrong." --George MacDonald

"And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Jesus comes back again" (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

There have been times in my life when I felt I wasn't making much progress in my Christian growth and maturity. You may feel that way now or have felt that way in the past. Our lesson today, reminds us that each of us is a work in progress and that God will not be finished with us until his return or our lives on earth come to an end.

Our passage does not mean that your salvation is incomplete until Jesus comes. When a person first prays to receive Christ as Savior, he or she becomes what the Bible calls a "babe in Christ" -- fully saved and destined for heaven; but that's just the beginning for a Christian. "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" (I Peter 2:2 NIV).

We all know that for a baby to grow physically, he or she is dependent upon proper food, exercise, instruction, and nurturing by his parents and others. Likewise, for a baby Christian to grow spiritually, he or she must receive spiritual nourishment from God's Word, spiritual exercise through obedience to God, and many forms of nurturing by other Christians.

God will help you to grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. However, you must have the desire and willingness to grow for God to do everything He desires to do in your life. When you are discouraged at your perceived lack of progress in spiritual growth, remember that God will never give up on you. He promises to take you from where you are to where He wants you to be. When you feel unfinished, incomplete, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God's promise. Please don't make the mistake of letting your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keeping you from growing closer to Him every day.

"We have all been driving down a highway and noticed bright orange signs that state, 'BEGIN CONSTRUCTION' and 'END CONSTRUCTION.' One thing about these signs is that they tend to remain around long after the construction work is over. If one of us were to announce -- that for the time being -- God's construction in our lives was going to be halted, would our friends say, 'I didn't know any construction was going on.'"

When God saves you, you belong to him and always will. You can take this truth to the bank. However, once you are saved, God wants to continue His work in you until Jesus comes or the end of your earthly life.

Love, Jerry & Dotse