ābeing confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;ā
āāPhilippians⬠ā1ā¬:ā6⬠āNKJVā¬ā¬
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? Iāve experienced all three. When we plan a trip, we donāt anticipate failing to arrive. Weāve all heard stories of planes crashing, and we think of the passengersāeach of them had plans, dreams, and expectations of arriving safely. If they had known what was to come, they likely wouldnāt have booked the ticket at all.

Have you ever started a new relationship and couldnāt wait to share the news with your friends? Maybe you told them, āIāve met the one,ā and they immediately started planning your bridal shower. Or, as a man, you were certain she was the woman youād marry. When we enter relationships, we donāt plan for failure or heartbreakāwe 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 wouldnāt 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 thereāperfect! Then suddenly, itās too spicy, too salty, or just plain unrecognisable . In your head, though, the final dish was going to be a masterpieceāat 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, āDonāt worry, Iām about to cook up a storm!āābut halfway through, it hits us: the storm isnāt on the plate, itās in the kitchen. If weād 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, itās predictable, but we still fail. We start things we canāt finish. We enter conversations and stir up feelings weāre 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 isnāt like that. He is the Alpha and the Omegaāthe 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 doesnāt just do the first step or the last; He completes it allāthe 1 and the 100.
Where your confidence lies is where your trust is. Honestly, Iām tired of trusting myselfāI donāt want to anymore. As I reflect, I realize Iāve failed because man can only see the present, while the future rests in Godās hands. Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth: āBeing confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.ā I love that Paul calls it a good work. Even when it feels hardāeven when youāre cryingāitās 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 purposeāitās all in His hands. But letās be honest: if itās 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 doesnāt help those who help themselvesāHe helps those who ask.
Lord, You began this good work in me, and I trust You to accomplish it. Amen!


