God Will Finish the Work

Oh, Lord, help me yield completely to you.

Take me out of the way of the work that you do.

For I’m just a branch, and you are the Vine.

I am powerless unless in you I’m entwined.

Any good work people see in me

Is the project you started and you will complete.

“I thank my God every time I remember you….

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:3 & 6

ĕpitĕlĕō²⁰⁰⁵ – to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by impl. to terminate, undergo: - accomplish, do, finish, (make) (perfect), perform (X –ance).

 Ultimate Make-over

            Perform the jaw reconstruction necessary to correct my overbite, and whiten my teeth while you’re at it. Tone and firm my abdomen after ridding me of excess fat. Remove the unsightly moles from my face and back. Free me from glasses.  Style my unruly hair, shape my eyebrows, and use make-up to mask anything that can’t be permanently repaired.

           

If I won a spot on that television show where someone is granted their dream make-over, it would change my outward appearance. All of the things I listed would make it easier for me to look good each day, but none of them would change who I am. And none of them would make me what I really need to be.

Have you ever just exhausted yourself trying to be all that others want you to be, all you wish you could be, and what you think God expects you to be? 

Face it; we are not capable of re-making ourselves. However, there is One who is able to take an old, broken down me and bring forth a new creation! (II Corinthians 3:17) It really isn't a matter of trying but of dying (Galatians 2:20).  We must daily die to ourselves and allow Christ to live through us. God will be faithful to completely finish the good work he starts in us. We just have to keep placing ourselves in his skilled hands. The ultimate "make-over" can be yours. Just trust yourself to the Master Creator and be amazed at what He will do!

Father, I thank you that self-improvement is not what you desire of me. I thank you that you are orchestrating life’s ups and downs to make me more like Jesus. Continue to “mold me and make me after your will,” as the old hymn says. I can no more make myself more like Jesus than the lump of clay can turn itself into a beautiful vase. So Lord, I rest in your ability to form me according to your will and submit to your hand as you spin this pottery wheel called earth each day, shaping me with every turn.