Week 4 God will complete his work in me

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Phillippians 1:6 (KJV)

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

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When I think about God's process of refining us, my mind compares this process to a video of a boy rescuing a sheep. The boy pulls the sheep out of the ditch, and immediately after, the sheep thanks the boy by jumping back into the ditch.

How is it that God is so patient with us? We are so much like sheep that are 100% dependent upon our shepherd.

I also consider references in the bible that refer to God as the potter and we're the clay. Isaiah 64 says, "But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

Whether we like it or not, we can't do life apart from God. He designed us to be dependent beings. That's why rogue Christians look like sheep jumping into ditches.

I sometimes wonder how the world of unbelievers goes about life without God; they are like the blind roaming around without a guide.

Scripture says in John 15:4, "Be in me at all times as I am in you. As the branch is not able to give fruit of itself, if it is not still on the vine, so you are not able to do so if you are not in me."

Notice how the scripture said to remain in God at all times. It is not just the world of unbelievers who are lost; we as believers also find a way to get lost ourselves.

It's a crazy phenomenon. We have the truth and the light, but we find ourselves misguided and lost for directions at times.

Our journey with God can be compared to hitchhiker on the side of the road. We find ourselves stranded away from God, then we panic, realizing we chose wrong. In desperation, we try to get back to the right course.

That's the life of an incomplete Christian. We are fallible beings, and only through God's process are we made complete.

Stay on the potter's wheel. We must present our hearts, minds, and bodies to the Lord.

Do you know you can hinder your process of completion? Many people are when they refuse to acknowledge God or disobey his will for their lives.

We get off track when we focus on distractions that lead us into the ditch. They whisper in our ears and dangle in front of our eyes, tempting us to make the wrong choices again.

I want to challenge you to remain hopeful. God sees your falls, but he also sees your hunger and desperation when you choose to get up again.

Keep getting up, keep confessing your faults, and move forward. You'll find that your journey to completeness will be worth it.

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Pray this prayer

Father,

I want to thank you for never giving up on me. I thank you for your patience, grace, and mercy. I confess my faults; I know on a good day I still fall short of your grace. I want to present my life to you daily so that you can continue your process of completing me. Take me as I am and use me for your glory, in Jesus Christ's name, amen.