Philippians 1:6 - Jesus Can Do It! - Will You Let Him?
Philippians 1:6 (NLT) And I am certain that
God, who began the good work within you, will
continue his work until it is finally finished on the
day when Christ Jesus returns.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Surrender What Jesus Uncovers
It takes years for a person to grow to
adulthood. It takes a full season for fruit to mature
and ripen. Physical growth and maturity take
time.
The same is true for spiritual growth.
The development of Christlike character cant
be rushed. The fruit of the Spirit - like
physical fruit - only develops with plenty of time.
During the process of spiritual growth,
God slowly uncovers parts of your life that need
to change in order to be more like Jesus.
Think of your life before Christ. He may
have allowed you to experience problems. Lifes
difficulties helped him get your attention and let you
see your life was built on a faulty foundation.
(And, actually, its that faulty foundation that
caused many of the problems in the first place.)
Jesus wants you to surrender all of your
life to him. He doesnt want just a small
portion of who you are. He wants access to all of
you.
Its like this: When you open the door
of your life to Jesus, he comes in. Lets
imagine you invite him into your house. In the
living room, you tell him, This is your home
now, and I want to live here the way you want me
to live.
In the kitchen, you say, Youre just
like family. In fact, really, Im now part of
your family, and Im so grateful for all you
provide. And so it goes, until you get to a closed
door. Jesus wants to go in, but you say, No,
that part of my life is closed to you. I dont
want you going in there.
When you invited Jesus into your life,
did you give him complete access? Have you
resisted his efforts to help you mature because you
insist on keeping some things behind closed doors?
Jesus doesnt want you to limit how or where he
works in your life. Otherwise, youre limiting
how much you can mature.
Jesus wants you to give him all of
yourself.
You may think youve surrendered all of
your life to Jesus, but the truth is youre
still hanging on to some parts of your life. Jesus
isnt upset with you. He simply wants to work with
you to help you uncover areas that you still
need to surrender to him.
Its a long process - and some days it
will feel like a struggle or even a battle. But
the good news is that the outcome is certain.
God has promised that he, who began the good
work within you, will continue his work until it
is finally finished on the day when Christ
Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6 NLT). [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
There are those who have known the pardoning
love of Christ and who really desire to be
children of God, yet they realize that their
character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they
are ready to doubt whether their hearts have
been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would
say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often
have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus
because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are
not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome
by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken
and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Said the beloved John, "These things write I unto
you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous." 1 John 2:1. And do not forget the words of
Christ, "The Father Himself loveth you." John 16:27.
He desires to restore you to Himself, to see
His own purity and holiness reflected in you.
And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He
that hath begun a good work in you will carry it
forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more
fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust
our own power, let us trust the power of our
Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of
our countenance. SC64-5
ILLUSTRATION
There are days I think back wistfully as
I contemplate the size jeans I wore in high
school, but the older I get the less I want to go
back to those days. I don't want to return to the
immature, self-centered, self-indulgent person that I
was. Even when I gave my heart and life to Jesus
at age seventeen I had a long way to go. And
Jesus was patient with me. Over the years I've
faced joy and suffering, gain and loss. I've had
success and failure, and embraced new life in my
family. Through it all, I've learned more about
myself and more about Jesus. I can see the good
work that He started when I prayed my first
honest prayer of submission. I can see the journey
He's taken me on. It's a journey that hasn't been
easy, but I wouldn't trade it for the relationship
I have with Jesus now.
Looking back also causes me to look
forward. In my middle-age years it's possible that I
still have half my life to go. Thankfully God will
continue his work in me until "the day when Christ
Jesus returns." As Peter says, "May God give you
more and more grace and peace as you grow in your
knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter 1:2
NLT). I used to think this grace and peace focused
on dealing with others, but now I understand it
also means acceptance myself. We all need to know
how to give ourselves grace - and have peace
deep inside - knowing that Jesus is still working
and He won't give up on us ever. by Tricia
Goyer
Faith Step: Think of one or two areas
where you need to give yourself grace and peace.
Pray and ask Jesus to help you to be gracious to
yourself as you travel on your journey to maturity.
[Mornings With Jesus 2018 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Philippians 1:6 - Jesus Can Do It! - Will
You Let Him?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191118-1018.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
