ASLC Devotions - Thursday

Thursday, April 14

Philippians 1:6

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

Our church helps with a number of good works in our community. PADS, Christmas Angels, the blood drive, Foods Resource Bank, Habitat for Humanity, etc. There are many more examples. These good works are a lot of, well… work. A lot of people spend a lot of time on these activities. In the midst of all that work, it might be fair to ask – is this really worth it? Are we getting anywhere with this?

I am reminded of an old painting on the wall of my grandmother’s church basement. It showed a man in row boat on the sea, being tossed in the whitecaps, with dark skies rolling in, lightning flashing, and the lighthouse achingly far off in the distance. A Russian proverb printed along with the painting said “Pray to God, but row for shore.”

One of the biggest theological questions out there is whether we have free will to make our own decisions or whether all is predetermined. Personally, I believe that God has given us free will to make our own decisions. At the same time, however, I think God whispers to us in our daily lives, guiding us, correcting us, and giving us strength and encouragement when we need to row the boat to shore.

In this verse, Paul reminds us that it is God’s good works among us. These good things we are doing are God’s and it is God, through our hands, who will bring them to completion.

John Lofgren

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