Unfinished

 

	“I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.”
	—Psalm 57:2

I don’t know about you, but in my closet I have several undone projects: a baby sweater half knit, several counted cross-stitch endeavors, a new craft idea with supplies I bought after viewing something on Pinterest.

I like to think I have completed many more things than I have lying around waiting. But, I believe most of us get interrupted, lose interest, find a problem we don’t want to deal with, or find the process too difficult—long before some things we start ever get finished.

Fortunately for the outcome of our spiritual formation, God always finishes what He begins. He intends to finish the work in our lives that He has begun. Philippians 1:6 says we can be:

“…confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

We’ve all seen the T-shirt slogan, “Be Patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.” It always evokes a smile. But, no matter how accurate that slogan may be, the statement of that truth by itself actually conceals the other more important truth that He will finish what He intends to accomplish in and through us.

What projects we are when He starts! The incredible truth is that He knew what a trial we’d give Him way before He even began His work in us. He saw with us what He saw with the generation of Noah.

In Genesis 8:21 we read that God said in His heart:

“‘Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.’”

He knows what we think and how we act. Nevertheless, God loves us anyway. He sent His precious son, Jesus, to die for our hopeless sinful natures. And, He still means to finish His work in us.

This process of finishing what He started is called “sanctification.” The sanctification process starts at our salvation and ends when we finish this life. Day by day, month by month, year by year, He works at finishing the project in us that He has begun.

Often the process produces pain and suffering. Sometimes when He seems to have laid us on the shelf unfinished, He is doing His best work. He uses a plethora of materials and methods.

Be assured of God’s love in the midst of the careful, creative, painstaking ways in which He deals with you and says in effect, “You’re worth all the work I have put into you.”

When we see each other inside the future Kingdom, we can know that God has brought all things He has begun to fruition in our lives. Praise Him!