A Cooperative Effort

I love that God finishes what He starts. In contrast, I don’t always finish what I start. I will start a project, get all excited about it, and then lose interest in it and not finish adequately. And I’m not alone. People have unfinished books, unfinished songs, and unfinished buildings. Maybe it’s a lack of resources or power, but more often than not, it’s simply a lack of desire.

God never loses interest in us. Aren’t you glad? Imagine God saying, "I choose you to be My child. I love you. I have a plan . . . uh, . . . I’m going to move on now." No, God doesn’t do that. He finishes everything He begins. He will finish the work He has begun in your life. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that He is "the author and finisher of our faith."

Notice Paul didn’t say, "You who have begun a good work in you." Rather, he said, "He who has begun a good work in you." This work is not up to us to finish; it is up to God to finish. It is not for us to work out; it is for God to work out. There is our part, and there is God’s part.

However, it is possible to be resistant to the work that God wants to do in our lives. He has given each of us a free will. We can sabotage our lives. We can make stupid decisions and do bad things, even as followers of Jesus Christ. Now, true followers will come to their senses, repent, and turn back to God. But that doesn’t mean they still won’t face the consequences of the wrong decisions they made.

God wants to do a work in you, but God is also looking for your cooperation.