Philippians 1:3-11: He Does Not Stop And He Does Not Lose

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.  - Philippians 1:3-11

 "...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." One of the great confidences in life is that God does not stop and God does not lose. Sometimes we are greatly disappointed in ourselves, finding that we do what we ought not even when we should know better. Sometimes God is greatly disappointed in us, finding that we do what we ought not even when we know better. But he does not stop and he does not lose.

I'm not sure how this works out.  I remember the stories in the Old Testament where God tells Moses to stand aside after the whole country disappointed Him and he was thinking of restarting the whole saving-the-world-through-Israel idea over with just Moses. God told Moses: "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”  (Num. 14:11b) But Moses didn't think that was a good idea. So God didn't stop and didn't lose, because Jesus came and Jesus won, even over our collusion with disobedience. 

God can make it work with me. Which is pretty incredible. But it makes sense, because who am I that I could get in the way of God Almighty? And God has plans for me, which is also pretty incredible. He has places he wants me to go and things he wants to see and my small-time, stupid stubbornness is not sufficient to thwart him. Anyone tells me differently is a liar and that is good news. I don't always known how that can be true, but I'm glad it is.    

Hurry and the Promised Land

"God is not in any particular hurry to get us to the Promised Land." - Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

Truth. When the Israelites came to the banks of the Jordan River but grumbled and complained at the plan to cross over into Canaan, God let them wander for 40 more years, because he wanted his people's hearts and character to be ready for the blessing that he wanted to give.  When they changed their minds and insisted that they had learned their lesson (Numbers 14:40), he chased them away from the river.

Sometimes God has things for me to do, and I grumble, complain and hesitate. Rather than demanding compliance, he takes me on another loop around Mt. Sinai and brings me back to the same decision again. Again, I am asked to compare the desert of my circumstances with the blessings of his promise and choose whether I will trust Him. He is in no hurry. He will wait for me.