6And 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 . . .because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace (Philippians 1:6, 7b)
Grace is kinetic. It rises in the morning with us and clings to us daily as tightly as pants on a hipster. The work of grace is started from birth, and is still working until our final breath. Certain events, such as salvation, illuminate yet it is ever present in the tears and laughter of the saints. This most undeserving of gifts our Lord gives us is then what we rely on when we fail to see the next step. It is this that completes the good work that He has started. Thank you to Jesus for starting, keeping, and finishing our lives as grace personified. Everyone we meet is a partaker of “common” grace, but followers of Christ get to partake in something deeper – relational grace. As someone who frequently compares his life to that of His keeper’s, I see this grace more on days when I miss the mark. Some days, we run counter to the current of the stream of grace but it’s ever steady flow eventually moves us forward to this “good work”.
If grace then controls us, and Christ then holds us, what are we to ever fear?
Perhaps it is the duty of the saint to dig deep into the spring of grace, showering it on those around us, no matter the spiritual maturity. For it is this grace that is sufficient in our weakness and this grace that draws the most desperate of sinners as much today as when first unleashed on the foundations of the earth.
Today, partake in grace over all else. This must be the engine that propels you through the crowded riot of your week. We are called to accept and distribute this most precious of gifts as children of our perfect father. Embrace that you are an unfinished work. We know the end, and it all turns out okay.
Matt simon blog 