I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 - CSB)
...the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and punishes every son whom He receives. (Hebrews 12:6 - CSB)
Do you sometimes feel hopeless regarding your growth as a Christian? Do you get so frustrated with your sin that you feel like giving up, thinking that you just can't live the way you should?
If that's how you feel, then there are a couple of verses you should read and meditate upon. There is a truth found in these verses that you need to realize.
First, according to Philippians 1:6, if you are a Christian, God has started working in you.
Second, if God has started working in you, He will continue to work in you.
Third, according to Hebrews 12:6, because God loves His children, He will discipline (train) all those who are not living for Him, in order that they repent and obey, resulting in spiritual growth.
When we begin to understand that God has promised to work in His children to make them holy, it should cause us to be full of hope...not hopelessness!
But what if God's children continue to sin and do not listen to the warnings found in His Word? How will the teaching of Hebrews 12:6 make sure that I will continue to grow spiritually? One preacher responds to this question by saying:
He may send an illness, He may ruin our circumstances, He may take some dear one from us by death...This teaching tells me that I am in God's hands, that He is my Father, and that He intends to bring me to perfection. It doesn't depend upon my holding on; it is He who has laid hold upon me, and has put His spirit in me. And the Spirit works powerfully in me in order that I may both will and do of His good pleasure. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
God continues to work in His children, guaranteeing that we will become more and more holy. What should be our response? Feeling hopeless or feeling joy?
God is wonderful!
