To Live is Christ — not distracted from God’s purposes

Some people can start a project and carry it on to completion. For me, that has always been a struggle. Getting sidetracked is one issue; getting bored with it is another. I make quilts, and quilters have a name for projects that get started and somewhere along the line are put in a box or on a shelf so we can start another one. They are called UFOs or unfinished projects. Sometimes we call them PhDs or projects half done.

God isn’t like that. Oh, yes, I am a work in progress, but He has no permanent UFOs in His kingdom. Notice the last lines of this passage in Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi:

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:3–6)

God never gets bored and never gives up. He is persistent and relentless in His goal to make each believer like Jesus. I resist (how foolish) and miss the point of life with Him every time I am sidetracked with temporary things, but His plans will be fulfilled. He says so.

He not distracted either. Even with the millions of souls under His daily care, He is able to multitask to the max, caring for each one of us and moving us toward the maturity and perfection of Jesus. Even if we don’t make it in this life, He has that under control too. 

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2)

The day I leave this life and step into eternity, Jesus will be there to greet me. When I see Him, the transformation will be complete and God’s project will be done.

The lovely part of this persistent quality of God is obvious. I have a certain hope, not because I can hang in there but because God will not give up on me. The convicting part is that to live is Christ means I also need to be more focused, more persistent myself, more faithful to finish what I start.

This isn’t about quilts (even though that is a good place to practice persistence). It is about focusing on the goal God has for me. It is about keeping my eyes on Him and cooperating with Him in the work of making me like Jesus. It means that every time I am pulled aside by my own ideas and goals. I need to remember the relentless determination of God. He will pull me back on track; He will get me to where He wants me. Fighting God is foolish and a waste of time and energy. Working with Him is like betting on a sure thing — it makes both of us winners.