This has to be one of the most reassuring verses in the Bible. You can be confident that God is able to continue the work He has started in your life. As we begin a new year and embark on our resolutions and self-improvement programs, remember the ultimate “make over” is in the hands of the God who loves you.
No matter how discouraged you feel about yourself or your circumstances, KNOW with confidence that God is working. As Pastor Chuck Smith said, “The work of the Spirit of God will continue in you. It is based on the faithfulness of God. He hasn’t taken you this far to dump you now!”
I know that we don’t always experience that confidence. I sometimes worry that I might mess things up so badly that failure is the only outcome. But you know what? Sometimes failure is the only outcome. Sometimes we just can’t make happen what we want to happen. We can’t always change ourselves. We can’t be who we want to be or live up to others’ expectations. And, we can’t change other people.
It’s maddening—and sometimes depressing. Even the apostle Paul cried out one day in sheer frustration and spiritual agony: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).
Who? Hebrews 12:2 reminds us of who: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Paul knew who would never leave or forsake him and would continue to work in his life.
God, through Jesus Christ, will continue to work out the plan for our lives that He ordained from the foundations of the world. He knows who we are. He knows our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. He doesn’t want us to ignore those parts of our lives or fear them. He knows what it will take for us to stay close to Him. He will allow events and circumstances to help us know, without a doubt, that nothing will ever separate us from His love. We can always live in God’s presence.
What a relief!
“We know that to those who love God, who are called according to His plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.” —Romans 8:28 (J.B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English)
