A Good Work
He who has begun a good work in you
will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6
As a teenager, Charles Spurgeon wrestled with God. He had grown up going to church, but what was preached seemed bland and meaningless. It was a struggle for him to believe in God, and Charles, in his own words, “rebelled and revolted.” One night, a fierce snowstorm forced the sixteen-year-old Spurgeon to seek shelter in a tiny Methodist chapel. The preacher’s sermon seemed directed at him personally. At that moment, God won the wrestling match, and Charles gave his heart to Jesus.
Spurgeon later wrote, “Long before I began with Christ, He began with me.” In fact, our life with God does not begin with the moment of salvation. The psalmist notes that God “created [our] inmost being,” knitting us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). The apostle Paul writes, “Even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvellous grace” (Galatians 1:15). And God does not stop working with us when we are saved: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion”(Philippians 1:6) (NEV).
We are each of us works-in-progress in the hands of a loving God. He leads us through our rebellious wrestling and into His warm embrace. But His purpose with us then is only beginning. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him” (Philippians 2:13). Rest assured, we are His good work regardless of how old we are or what stage of life we are in.
Read
Psalm 139:13-24.
Prayer
Loving God, I am overwhelmed to think of Your loving care for me from the moment of my birth. Thank You. Help me to respond to Your ongoing work in my life. Amen.
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