Today’s Verse

Philippians 1:6

“…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

A few weeks ago my wife and I had dinner with a couple we’ve known for many years. This couple spent stints in Honduras and Costa Rica planting churches, training pastors, and strengthening the Church in Central America. It was so encouraging to hear about their kids and what God was using them to do for His Kingdom now. They are further along in their life, faith, and marriage, and we walked away with full hearts because of the time they shared.

One of the things we marveled at over dinner was the age and stage of life our kids are now in. Pictures tell that story and provide vivid proof that things change rapidly in relatively short periods of time. This reality makes the power of Philippians 1:6 stand out. All week we’ve talked about how Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor and how we can bring everything to Him and trust that His guidance is perfect and for all seasons.

I do not know, by a long shot, all the readers of our Southland devotionals but for those I do know, I can say along with Paul in the opening verses of Philippians 1, “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.”

Over the years of writing these devotionals, I have had the chance to pray for the salvation of your friends and loved ones. I have prayed for you and your family members fighting disease and sickness. I’ve seen God do miraculous things in these circumstances and our lives. In Jesus, we have a Wonderful Counselor who is not finished with us yet. No matter how many days, months, or years we remain in this life, we know that God is still working to make us more like Jesus. May we carry this hope into this Christmas season and bring the light and life of Jesus to those we come into contact with.

REFLECTION

Let’s pray together today that Jesus will continue to complete His work in us as we open our lives to His Holy Spirit and receive this day's portion of wonderful counsel.