Savage About Sobriety June 2, 2023

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6 (KJV).

This verse is a promise from God. It also happens to be my life verse. It's a verse that I can wake up and thank God for everyday because it reminds me that my story won't be finished until Jesus Christ comes back. It's a promise that if I continue to present my life to the Creator of the universe to mold me into what He chooses to, my life will be one that I can be proud of.

The word "perform" means to make complete. To finish. To make perfect. This verse tells me that I'm a work in progress and will continue to be a work in progress until Jesus's return. That is a comforting thought for someone like me. I like to beat myself up over my past failures and mistakes. I tend to be hard on myself when I still make mistakes in my everyday life. This verse tells me that when I got saved, the project known as my life had just begun and won't be finished until He says I'm done.

The mistakes and failures I'm talking about are trials that every child of God goes through. Proverbs 25:4 states, "Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer." (KJV). The "dross" this verse is referring to is another word for impurities. A silversmith puts the "raw" silver in a pot and heats up the pot. As the pot gets hot, the silver melts and the pure silver sinks to the bottom while the impurities float to the top. The silversmith will then scrape off the impurities, leaving only the purer silver. This process is repeated until the silversmith is satisfied with the purity of the precious metal.

God uses trials and tribulations in our lives to purify our walk with Him the same way the silversmith purifies the silver. The trials and tribulations we face on a daily basis as Christians are meant to remove the impurities from our life. As long as we continue to make ourselves a willing vessel, God will continue to refine our Christian walk with Him. Each trial and tribulation removes more and more of the impurities, making us a better Christian than we were before. This is a process that Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 won't be finished until we are raptured out of this world.

Why does God need to remove our impurities? Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10 the answer to this question. "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (NLT). God views you as a work of art. We are His masterpiece. Remember the word "perform" from Philippians 1:6? To complete or to make perfect. Once God starts making you into a work of art, He will continue to do so until you are made perfect, i.e., a masterpiece. All we have to do is make ourselves available to do His Will.

Remember, God created the universe out of nothing by just speaking the words. Imagine what He can do with your willingness to be created into a vessel for the finer. You can walk through this life with the confidence Paul mentions in the first half of Philippians 1:6, knowing that the trials we go through are just meant to purify us and make us a more perfect Christian to do God's work while we are here on earth.