“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;”
Philippians 1:6 NKJV
Have you ever set out on a journey only to turn back before reaching your destination? Or perhaps encountered an accident along the way? Maybe you even changed your mind mid-journey? I’ve experienced all three. When we plan a trip, we don’t anticipate failing to arrive. We’ve all heard stories of planes crashing, and we think of the passengers—each of them had plans, dreams, and expectations of arriving safely. If they had known what was to come, they likely wouldn’t have booked the ticket at all.
Have you ever started a new relationship and couldn’t wait to share the news with your friends? Maybe you told them, “I’ve met the one,” and they immediately started planning your bridal shower. Or, as a man, you were certain she was the woman you’d marry. When we enter relationships, we don’t plan for failure or heartbreak—we envision the best and build hopes for the future. Only someone with toxic intentions would think otherwise. If we could foresee how many of these relationships would end, we likely wouldn’t have entered them in the first place.
Have you ever started a new business or tried cooking a meal from scratch? You probably picked out the best ingredients, thinking, A dash of curry here, a splash of water there—perfect! Then suddenly, it’s too spicy, too salty, or just plain unrecognisable . In your head, though, the final dish was going to be a masterpiece—at least according to your taste buds. To be real, nobody starts cooking with the intention of burning food or wasting ingredients, especially in this economy! We confidently tell the family, “Don’t worry, I’m about to cook up a storm!”—but halfway through, it hits us: the storm isn’t on the plate, it’s in the kitchen. If we’d known we were about to serve up disaster, we might not have picked up the spoon at all.
Where am I going with this? Sometimes, the road is unpredictable. Other times, it’s predictable, but we still fail. We start things we can’t finish. We enter conversations and stir up feelings we’re not ready to address. We launch businesses, only to abandon them at the first sign of trouble or loss. Our decisions can be so inconsistent. But God isn’t like that. He is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. He starts to finish. When He takes off, He arrives. He prepares a table and serves the meal before us, even in the presence of our enemies. What He creates, He sustains for eternity. He doesn’t just do the first step or the last; He completes it all—the 1 and the 100.
Where your confidence lies is where your trust is. Honestly, I’m tired of trusting myself—I don’t want to anymore. As I reflect, I realize I’ve failed because man can only see the present, while the future rests in God’s hands. Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth: “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” I love that Paul calls it a good work. Even when it feels hard—even when you’re crying—it’s still good work. God gives you the A, the Z, and every step in between. The vision will be accomplished. The process, the dreams, the purpose—it’s all in His hands. But let’s be honest: if it’s going to be accomplished, it has to be through the Lord.
Think about it. Do you really want to keep cooking up tasteless meals in your own strength? Why not hand it over to God and let Him do His work in you? God doesn’t help those who help themselves—He helps those who ask.
Lord, You began this good work in me, and I trust You to accomplish it. Amen!
