Two incredible promises
Paul goes on to refer to the doctrine of sanctification in one of the most uplifting and unapologetic verses in the New Testament. In it Paul expresses his certainty that Christ will continue his work in us ‘until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.’ So Paul would have us relax in two truths simultaneously. The first truth we are encouraged with is that Christ’s work in us will continue, as far as we are concerned, indefinitely. This is a good thing to rest in because it means that whatever place we are at in our lives we know that there is always something more to be done. This can sometimes appear to be very tiring, in that however close to finishing we may feel we must have the nagging knowledge that it will never be properly finished as far as we know! But we must rest assured that Paul does not say anything about our work, it’s all about Christ. Christ works in us and will continue to do so. When we are weary and need a rest then Christ will use that period of our lives to renew us and bring us to new truths and new joy, which will inevitably lead us to new ministries and new fruit of the gospel. God loves us and will never punish us through overwork - there is true joy in being His slaves as we discovered above, but God will never abuse the position He has! In truth this ought to encourage us to live our lives with all the more confidence due to the fact that the work in us that will continue is not us, it is Jesus! Secondly there is a promise in this verse that one day ‘Christ Jesus will come back again’! That day may be during our lifetimes, it may not. In any case we must keep our eyes fixed on that goal; one day, whether here or in heaven, we will meet Jesus literally face-to-face. And what an awesome, amazing, mind-blowing privilege that will be! The question is, however, whether we collapse weeping due to the fact that we are so grateful for what He has done for us, or whether we collapse weeping due to the fact that we spent our lives pursuing things other than Him. Although the work is not ours, it belongs to Christ Jesus, the decision must rest with us; we have been made stewards of our lives, our money and possessions, and our gifts. What we choose to do with them will ultimately affect our response to Christ on that day. I, for one, would so love to be one who can humbly offer my sacrifice of praise on that day knowing that I did not waste my life, although even as I write this idea I am so aware of my own sin and shortcomings. Oh, to constantly be reminded of that day so that I do not waste anything more! Let us keep this verse in our minds as we live our every day for Him in everything we do, our jobs, our relationships, our finances to name but a few. In all we think, say and do let us keep our eyes fixed on that day and never let ourselves down by serving anything, or anyone less than the Creator of the Universe Himself, Jesus Christ.
Created about 4 years ago
