He will Finish what He started

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 NIV

In an article titled, “He Almost Died During Last Year's Detroit Free Press Half Marathon. He Came Back This Year to Finish the Race” published by Runner’s World last week, Tommy Kornieck said that he’d always wanted to be a runner and looked forward to his first half marathon on October 17, 2021. And while the start of the race went well, he began to feel lightheaded at mile 10 and collapsed. He later learned he had gone into cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. Thankfully Tommy recovered and was cleared to run in June—intent on putting in the training needed to finish what he started. On Sunday, October 16, Kornieck, now 27, got to finish what he started. He traveled to mile 10 on the Detroit Free Press’s half marathon course and walked the final 3.1 miles with his mother. He felt “excitement and joy” when he crossed the finish line, and saw his uncle, aunt, and a few of his friends waiting for him.

And you know, when it comes to finishing something that was started, Paul told the believers at Philipi that he was “certain” that God, who began the good work within them, would continue his work until it was finally finished on the day when Jesus Christ returned. Paul was encouraging the believers to keep pressing on by expressing his complete confidence that God would continue the sanctification process He had started in them when they chose to follow Him. Paul wanted to make it crystal clear that God would never leave them on their own but would help them grow in godliness throughout their whole lives. 

So seek to become more like Jesus each and every day my friend knowing that the process won’t be complete until we reach that final finish line, either by death or by the return of the Savior. Refuse to remain unchanged and strive with all you have to reach the mark, knowing you aren’t running this race alone. God will be with you every step of the way, doing whatever it takes to make you more like Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You would care to make us more like You. Remind us that you are a builder that only builds good things and that You are a worker who always finishes what He started. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!