“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.” — Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
For the past five or six years, the Philadelphia 76ers have adopted “Trust The Process” as their motto. It was a reminder to the team and the fans that they had a plan, and while it might take a few rough years to get there, they would put themselves in a position to compete for NBA championships. With this plan in place, they wouldn’t allow the outcome of one game, or even a season, derail that confidence.
As Christians we have a tendency to focus on the small picture, the immediate, what we see. How often are we quick to dismiss our faith and trust in God’s goodness and plan because of something that just happened, something we’ve just experienced that maybe didn’t go according to our plan?
In Philippians 1:6, Paul provides a great model for faith in “the process.” In one verse, he lays out some great truths to remind us where our confidence should lie, and why we can confidently trust in Him no matter the circumstance.
“He began” — God did this. He created you, just the way He wanted to.
“Good work” — You’re not a bad work, a hopeless work, not even a mediocre work. He began a good work in you.
“He will bring it to completion” — He has worked, is working and will work in your life, until He finishes what He has in store for you.
This is the confidence Paul is trying to convey to the Philippians — that no matter what we are seeing in the immediate (remember: Paul is writing this from prison, so he can speak on this with some authority), we can be confident not in ourselves or in our circumstances, but in the God who began a good work in us and will bring it to completion.
What else can give us that hope?
— Chris Kelty
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
