He Who Is Faithful

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6

…so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 1:7-9

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

It’s so easy to look at the Bible and be overwhelmed by the list to dos and don’ts. 1 Thessalonians (we’re studying it as a church right now) is a book about full of commands for holy living. I can easily get caught up in all the things I should be doing, but I’m not. I then begin a 3 step plan to change. And then often get discouraged, my sin is bigger than my ability to change. Now, don’t get me wrong, I need to change. I need to work on my sanctification!!! But, not in my own strength. I do 10 looks at Jessica for every 1 look at the cross. I’m relying on my own ability to change. 1 Thess. 5:24 is such a great and comforting reminder. It specifically reminds me of two things.

1. God is never going to let me go. He is never going to leave me to change on my own. He wants to see me change more than I want to change. He is motivated to make this sinner look more and more like Him. He’s aware of my lack. He knows I can’t change. He knows that I need His help. He also knows that I’m self-sufficient. So, He kindly wrote 1Thess. 5:24 to remind me that I can’t do it on my own and that He is faithful. He started this work, He will complete it. It amazes me that God not only saved me and wrote down instructions for me (Bible), but that in those instructions there is so much comfort and grace. It’s not a rule book, it’s more of a love story. Full of instruction, but also comfort, love, tender affection, grace, and understanding. He knows my frame (He made it!). And in His kindness, He knew that I would constantly need the reminder, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

2. I need the reminder to stop being Martha. I need the reminder to come and sit at His feet. To rest, to trust, and to allow Him to do His work in me. I work, but I’m not doing the majority of it. I’m a 4yr. helping his dad mow the lawn. I’m “helping”, but God is doing most the work. I need to stop focusing exclusively on the work and focus more on Him. (Focusing on both my sin and Him, but mostly Him.) Gazing into His face changes my sin much more effectively than running around like a chicken with its head cut off.