Incomplete
When Jesus comes back in the clouds and takes us with Him
we will be complete!
For me, God was quick to point out a frustration I have with incompleteness. This discontentment heightens in spring when we are trying to get Shiloh ready for the spring/summer season. Now that I am in my sixties and a stroke survivor with a less than flourishing brain, things are much harder to complete than in years before. I like to face a project and complete it, but that's not happening. The other day I had 33 things on our outdoor chore list and at least half that many on the inside list. Extreme panic and frustration set in and those equal discontentment, which is not from God. My Jesus joy was wavering.
The fact is the root of my problem is that on my own I am incomplete. Some days a complete mess.
In Philippians 1:6 we find Paul sharing this promise: "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in your will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
So, yes, our sanctification is a process, but because of Jesus we carry a guarantee.
"God, by his unrivaled, infinite power, will one day remedy everything wrong about you. Now you are counted perfect through faith in Jesus. Then, you will be presented perfect-no sin, no shame, no guilt, no doubt, no fear-nothing broken about you."
Marshall Segal
"and in Him you have been made complete and He is the head over all rule and authority."
Colossians 2:10
So here is what I am sorting out. On my own, I'm an incomplete mess. The remedy for this frustration is to look to Jesus, not to myself. Having the right tools makes any job easier. Reading further in Philippians 1 in verses 9-10 Paul prays for the Philippians to have a great tool.
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ."
"Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity." Colossians 3:14
Compassionate love leads to completion. What if we challenged ourselves to love everyone God loves? Think about that list for a moment. Pray, "Lord, help me love others well."
Joseph Prince reminds us, "The good news is that God does not see the way man sees. Man sees the flesh. God sees the spirit. He sees us already complete in Christ. In spite of our imperfections, He sees us as new creations, partakers of His divine nature and more than conquerors over our faults. And He wants us to see ourselves the way He sees us."
Lord, who am I not loving well that is slowing down my progress of being more like Christ?
