The God Who Finishes What He Starts

We live in a world full of unfinished projects. Half-read books sit on our shelves, half-painted walls in our homes, dreams we started but never fully carried through. Often, our energy and determination run out before we see completion.

• “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Phil 1:6 (message) 

But Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6 that God is not like us. He does not abandon His work halfway. The “good work” He begins in us—salvation, transformation, sanctification—is His project, and He will faithfully see it through.

This is freeing, because so often we look at our own weaknesses and think: “I’ll never change. I’ll never get it right. Maybe God is tired of me.” But this verse says otherwise: your spiritual growth does not rest on your ability to hold everything together, but on God’s promise to complete His work in you.

Notice the language: Paul says he is confident. Not merely hopeful or wishing, but fully convinced. That same assurance is available to us today. God is patiently, consistently shaping you into the likeness of His Son, even when you don’t feel it.

And here’s the beauty: completion is not dependent on this week’s performance, your emotional state, or even how close you feel to God right now. It’s anchored in His unchanging faithfulness. One day, when Christ returns, the work will be complete, and we will stand perfected in Him.

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1. What “unfinished areas” of your life make you feel discouraged?

2. How does it change your perspective to know God Himself is committed to finishing the work in you?

3. What small step can you take today to cooperate with the work He is already doing?

“Father, thank You for never giving up on me. When I grow weary, remind me that the work You’ve begun in me is not dependent on my strength, but on Your faithfulness. Help me to trust the process, to rest in Your promises, and to look forward to the day when Your work in me is complete in Christ. Amen.”