He who began a good work
Today's focusPaul thanks God with joy for the Philippians and is confident that God, who began a good work in them, will complete it; he prays their love will abound.
Read
3I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Reflection
Paul begins this letter not with a list of instructions, but with a heart full of gratitude. Even while he is in "bonds," his thoughts of his friends bring him "joy." He recognizes that their "fellowship in the gospel" is a gift from God that has remained steady from the "first day until now." This reminds you that your journey of faith is not a solo effort; it is a shared life of grace where God connects us to one another in love.
You can find deep peace in Paul’s certainty that "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." This means the weight of your spiritual growth does not rest on your shoulders alone. The same God who first drew you to Himself is the one committed to finishing what He started. As you walk through your day, remember Paul’s prayer that your "love may abound yet more and more." God is at work in you, filling you with the "fruits of righteousness" for His own glory.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What good work do you see God doing in your life that you can trust him to complete?
Pray
Lord, thank you that you began a good work in me and will carry it on to completion. Let my love abound more and more in knowledge and wisdom. Fill me with the fruit of righteousness.