A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Friday,
October
30,
2020
Colorful leaves
(Photo by Nelson Longenecker)
(Photo by Nelson Longenecker)
"He
Who Began A Good Work In You"
Message summary: The good work that God began begins in the individual heart. It will be completed over our lifetime and fulfilled according to His purpose and in His time!
Listen
to this message on your audio player."The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me" (Psalm 138:8). "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
Last Saturday we laid new flooring in our family room, replacing carpet we had installed when we bought our home in 2002. It was long overdue! We are installing vinyl planks that gives the appearance of wood but is waterproof and should hold up well to indoor pets. We also had the flooring installed in a storage closet that was previously a concrete floor.
I noticed we had some studs in
that closet that were suitable for placing shelving
so we embarked on a little
home improvement project together. Yesterday I
picked up some scrap Azek boards from one of our
companies and cut support pieces and shelves. Due to
the tight space Brooksyne helped me install them.
This is an area Brooksyne will now store her jellies
and jams.We finished one section (see below) but ran out of shelving material so will have to wait to complete it.
How many projects have you started with good intentions but never finished? In my workshop I have evidence of incomplete projects reminding me that I don’t always finish everything I start. How many times have you managed to complete a project and then been able to stand back and honestly proclaim, "That’s perfect!"? By all evidence I think we installed the shelves correctly but since they're in a closet hidden behind a wall the main thing is function.
Consider our life being a building project; a long-term, lifetime project. What tremendous confidence the Psalmist expresses in the first daily text. I want to appropriate this truth to my life and encourage you to do the same. Read it slowly and consider its personalized truth. "The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me." The KJV states, "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me." The NASV reads this way, "The LORD will accomplish what concerns me."
God started the redemption project when we placed our trust in Christ. For some it’s a new project, for others, like us, it’s been a long process. But when God starts the redemption project in our life rest assured that He will complete it. Paul expressed this to the Philippians, "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
I believe Paul was directing the believer's attention to Jesus who works in our lives and perfects our walk as we keep our eyes on Him. Paul traveled continuously starting churches and returning for visits so that he could inspire, instruct, and when needed rebuke those in error. Surely, at the end of each visit, a number of them wondered how they could grow in their faith walk without their leader’s presence.
Pastors, teachers, evangelists, and lay leaders are the human messengers God uses to advance His kingdom and to mature His people. But God's work is seen individually in those who seek after Him in their own devotional time and through Christian service. What a wonderful joy to know that the work of God in our lives is more than just a temporary project based upon whatever Bible study we’re attending or which godly leader instructs us. We must especially keep this in mind if overseers who have greatly influenced our Christian walk fall into moral failure or doctrinal error. Otherwise we would despair.
The good work which God began He begins in the individual heart. It will be completed over our lifetime and fulfilled according to His purpose and in His time!
If
the struggle you’re facing is slowly replacing
your hope with despair;
Or the process is long and you’re losing your song in the night.
You can be sure that the Lord has His hand on you,
Safe and secure, He will never abandon you.
You are His treasure and He finds His pleasure in you.
He who began a good work in you.
He who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it. He’ll be faithful to complete it.
He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.
Or the process is long and you’re losing your song in the night.
You can be sure that the Lord has His hand on you,
Safe and secure, He will never abandon you.
You are His treasure and He finds His pleasure in you.
He who began a good work in you.
He who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it. He’ll be faithful to complete it.
He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, here I am
again; Your work in progress. Though I committed
my life to you many years ago the finished work
will not be revealed until I draw my final
breath on this side. In the midst of my
struggles, failures, and doubts I remain
confident that You will complete the work that
began the day I surrendered my life to You. You
accepted me as I was and You lovingly began the
reshaping of my life to reflect Your own nature.
Not only are You continuing the good work You
began, but You are perfecting the situations
that weaken my faith and my Christian testimony.
I am confident that You will fulfill Your
purpose for me as I commit all my ways to You.
In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Here's
the shelving in the section we completed.
Brooksyne
couldn't wait to stack her jams - strawberry
rhubarb, peach, raspberry, cherry, jalapeno and
other canned goods in the space allotted. After I
took this photo she made labels for the front of
the jars so she can quickly see what she has
stored and is most anxious to finish the other
shelves. There's never enough storage for
resourceful homemakers.
"He
Who Began A Good Work In You"
Video
Steve Green
"He's
Still Working On Me" Video The Singing
Contractors (This may make you smile.)
"In
His Time" Video
Maranatha! Music
Today's colorful leaves photo was taken by my longtime friend here in Lancaster County. I met Nelson Longenecker shortly after we moved to Lancaster County in 2001 at Four Seasons Produce where he still works.
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Stephen & Brooksyne
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA