Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
This is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. I know that's a big statement, but it's really true. The English Standard Version puts it this way: "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
The Gift of Assurance
This is about something called assurance, and assurance is really important for us. If you think about it, there are not a lot of things to be sure of today. There's not a lot of things that you can really be certain of. We have lots of hopes, but not a lot of assurance. Are you sure about your relationships? Are you sure about your finances? Are you sure about your health? Are you sure about your country? There are a lot of things that we are not sure of, but here in this verse is something you can be sure of.
First, if you are a Christian, that means that God began a good work in you. You know it was God that saved you. You did not save yourself. God saved you from Satan. He saved you from sin. He saved you from death. He has rescued you. He began it. I didn't begin my salvation. He did. You know what? The only thing you contributed to your salvation was sin. Sin is what we contribute to our salvation. We contribute our need for God to save us.
God Will Complete His Work
Good news—you can be sure, Christian, God has begun a good work in you. Now the promise of this verse is that God is going to bring that work in you. He will bring it to completion. That means God is going to finish what He started in you. He's going to keep conforming you into the image of His Son. That means He's going to keep making you more and more like Jesus.
Will you cross that finish line? Will you fight the good fight of the faith? Will you hear, well done, good and faithful servant, Christian? The answer is yes. You may look at yourself and say, I don't know if I can make it. I would say the same thing about myself. The reason you'll make it and the reason I'll make it is because God promises that that good work He began in us, He will bring it to completion.
Now, if you're not tuned in to this already, the reason that is so encouraging is because often I look at my life and you probably look at your life, and I look at my circumstances and it tells me otherwise. I wonder if I'm going to make it. I wonder if God has given up on me. I wonder if God still has me.
God Is Sovereign Over Your Entire Life
This verse reminds me that I can have assurance—God will not lose me. God will not lose you. God is sovereign is the word we use. God is sovereign over my entire life, from creation of my life to salvation to sanctification, becoming more like Christ, to glorification, when I will ultimately be saved with you and be brought into the presence of the Lord.
It's what John Newton was talking about in that verse of "Amazing Grace" when he said, "Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. Grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home."
