Rev. Dr. Maxine Thomas, Columnist
“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Beloved, God is not through with you yet. He is still molding you and shaping you into what he would have you to be. So do not think that you have already arrived. Yes, you are saved. Yes, you are sanctified. Don’t walk that way no more! Don’t talk that way no more! A songwriter said, What a wonderful change has come over my life since Jesus came into my heart.
Still, there are some dry places in your life that need refreshing; there are still some broken places that still need healing; there are some gifts that are still lying dormant. Some things you thought were gone but still remain. The Bible reminds us that God will perform those things that have already begun in you. Even as a seed blossoms into a flower, God will bring your ministry to full bloom! It is time to move from complacency to commitment! It is time to move from mediocrity by striving to be all you can be! The Lord wants to take you from one level of glory to another.
There shall be a manifestation of all that God has promised concerning your life. The Bible says, “ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,…” (Philippians 2:5). God wants us to have the mind of Christ. God wants to perfect the love that he has already placed in you. God’s love is perfect love. It is not always easy for us to love. Like most of us, you have probably encountered some less than lovable people. You know, the sister who turned her back on you in your hour of need. The father who abused you. The uncle who touched you in places where he should not have. Your Mama’s Boo, who gave you a quarter to sit on his lap every time he came over. The child who failed to put into practice that which you tried to instill in him from early childhood. The nosy neighbor. The church mother, who speaks in one language on Sunday morning and in another language as soon as the benediction has been said. It is not always easy to love!
Thank God it is not my love that I am able to offer others! It would be a sometimey, temperamental, wishy-washy love if it were my love. But, my friend, as you continue to avail yourself of the transforming love of God, he will teach you how to love the unloveable. He will give you new eyes for seeing. You will see others through the eyes of Jesus and not through the eyes of guilt and mistrust! Not through the eyes of anger and fear! When you see others through the eyes of Jesus, you will be able to bless those who despitefully use you, turn the other cheek, love your enemies, and treat everybody all right. Hallelujah! God wants to work perfect work in you!
Exhale
It is my steadfast desire to walk in the perfect will of God. And so, I exhale complacency and defeat. I receive renewed faith to believe that God is able to bring to pass all that He said concerning my life.
