To the End!

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. PHILIPPIANS 1:6 AMP

As I live my life from day to day, it is important to ask the right questions and find the right answers, so I do not find myself on the wrong path, pursuing the wrong priorities and ending up in the wrong destination. With all the allure the world brings, it is easy to settle for the convenient, visible, tangible and rewarding. Unfortunately, with God, impact isn't measured in financial terms. The whole world may applaud you, yet God may be wondering if what you hold is from him or of your own making. That's the focus of today's extract.

First of all, I must ask myself if I am confident that what I hold on to is from God. Paul here was confident that what the church in Phillipi was holding on to was inspired by God. You can spend your whole life on the altar, yet get nothing from God. You can deny yourself all the worldly things, yet get no eternal reward, because it is not about what you do first of all; it is about the authority behind your actions. God only sustains whatever he ordains. You have read the frightening account of Jesus, where he said that not all who call him 'Lord, Lord', will enter into the kingdom of God. That should cause you to rethink your pursuits and priorities.

If God is the inspiration behind my perspiration, then I can be sure that he will sustain me to the end. We seem to have an idea of how that end should be: all glorious, plenty of applause, maximum visibility and impact. What if the place of my beginning is in an obscure place, away from the view of men who matter? What if nobody knows or cares who I am? Would I remain faithful? God is a faithful God, who does not abandon anyone he commissions. It is his work in the first place, and we are only vessels in his hands. As long as he is the one sending, he will always accompany and bless the work.

It does not matter what you encounter as you work for God. There will be trials and hard times, but it has been settled that all God does is good. You may not see it in the immediate, but it will always end good. As I hold on to God, I am confident that he will hold me to the very end. That end must be kept in proper perspective. What if danger comes? What if loss comes? Would I still trust his wisdom and power?

Hard questions, but I must learn to keep eternity in view. It does not end down here. The day of the Lord is coming, when he will RETURN, REQUIRE an accounting and REWARD all men based on his own terms, not man's. I had better be sure I am on the right track, doing the right thing and holding on to the right thing. The alternative is not worth considering. Grace never expires until it truly expires. His time of favour is here.