“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 1:6

God will complete the work He began in me, and He will do the same in you. No matter where you started or where you are in your walk with God, whether you are far along or not nearly where you hoped to be, you can look to the Father to complete within you what He started when you accepted Jesus as Messiah. He is in the process of conforming us to the image of His Son. He is making us like Jesus! “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).

The apostle Paul said He who began a good work in us would perfect it. Sometimes we feel condemned as Christians because we’re holding ourselves to a standard of perfection that we can’t seem to meet. I want you to understand that there is a difference between being perfect and being on a journey to perfection. You may feel as if you’re failing right now because you’re not “perfect,” but if you’re moving forward, if you’re growing in God, then you’re on the journey to perfection. If you are making progress toward becoming more like Jesus, you’re successful.

God loves you. Trust Him to complete in you what He started. Just like a mom and dad love their baby who is stumbling as she’s learning to walk, so does God keep loving you and me even when we fall. If there’s something in your life that’s weighing you down or that keeps tripping you up, give it to God. Keep talking to Him about it. Keep praying about it. Keep asking and asking and asking for help. The One who began the good work in you will complete it.

Father God, I love You today. I am so thankful that I can look to You to be the author and finisher of my faith. I thank You, Father God, that it’s not up to me to perfect myself, but as I look to You and cling to You, You Yourself are working in and through me to perfect me and will complete what You started.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Revelation (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2020), Used by permission.