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Scripture for the day: Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Thought for the day: In these days of extreme anxiety, when everyone seems to be worried about what might happen before the day is finished, we as Christians have been given one of the greatest opportunities in the history of the church. Namely, we have been called to provide hope for a hopeless world. Before we can possibly do this, though, we have to have an unshakable hope of our own.
Now, allow your imagination to take hold for a moment and picture the following: You’re standing just outside the throne room of heaven, staring at the open door that leads to the very presence of the Father Himself. Your glance is drawn to a huge plaque that hangs just over the lintel. On the plaque is written: “ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVES ME SHALL COME TO ME.” You step inside and find another plaque that reminds you: “THE ONE WHO COMES TO ME, I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT.” Jesus said, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” (John 15:16). How does that make you feel? Let this great truth in habit your every waking moment. He has chosen you and has begun a good work in you. Now, if He has begun this good work, you can be sure He will complete it – in His good time and in His own way.
Know this; there is nothing in your life, materially or spiritually, that is outside His sphere of influence. There is nothing that He does not care about; everything that touches your life has eternal consequences and He will have His way in everything that is eternal. There is nothing happening in your life that He is not working on, to perfect that which He has begun. Listen to the promise of God to the children of Israel, given while they were at one of their lowest points: “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; you have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. and where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12-13). David echoed the sentiment of Isaiah when he said, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11).
I know how easily we can lose sight of the so-called big picture. When we don’t see monumental changes taking place in our lives, we can become discouraged and begin to wonder if God hasn’t abandoned us to our fate. But know this; though the Lord God may not have the same timetable as ours, He is nevertheless working, one bit at a time, to conform us to the very image of Christ. In every need we may be sure that the Lord is at work for our good and His glory. In every struggle, every storm, every challenge, we must remember that we can call boldly upon the Savior who has promised to complete that which He has begun in us.
Now, do you believe this? Do you really trust that, in spite of outward circumstances to the contrary, the Savior is working in your life in every situation? Then, go to a world to whom that hope is a stranger and share the truth that “From Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).
Now go take on your world. - Bill