Read: Philippians 1:1-7
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. —2 Peter 3:18
An
impatient college student went to the president of the school and asked if he
could take an accelerated course that would allow him to graduate sooner.
“Yes,” the president replied, “but it depends on what you want to be. When God
wants to make an oak, he takes a hundred years. But when He wants to make a
squash, He takes 6 months.”
Like
that student, we sometimes get frustrated with the rate of our spiritual growth.
We’d like to see ourselves a lot closer to maturity than we are. We’re
disappointed that we fall back into childish behavior we thought we had
outgrown. We want “school” to be over.
But
growth takes time, and it often comes in spurts. Trees grow rapidly during a 4
to 6 week period in early summer, when woody fibers appear between the bark and
the trunk. During the remainder of the year, these fibers solidify into the
sturdy wood from which furniture is built, which will last several lifetimes.
Not
growing as fast in your Christian life as you’d like? Perhaps you’re
“solidifying.” It’s a vital part of the process that the One who began a good
work in you will bring to completion (Phil. 1:6). Be patient. God isn’t
finished with you yet.
May
I never run on ahead of Thy plan,
Nor
tarry, a laggard, behind.
O
order my steps, precious Lord, that each one
With
Thy steps may be perfectly timed.
—Bowser
About the only thing
you can get in a hurry is trouble.
He Will Finish
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
(Philippians
1:6, NIV)
TODAY’S WORD
Are
you believing for something that seems like it’s taking longer than you hoped?
Maybe you’ve been praying for a loved one. Maybe you’ve believed for a
situation to change for years. Don’t get discouraged. God is going to finish
what He started! He is a faithful God, and He has something unmatched,
unparalleled coming your way — favor, breakthroughs, restoration like you
haven’t seen before!
God
has been good to all of us in the past, but I believe we’re coming into a time
where we will see greater anointing, greater power and greater victories! The
key is that we have to stay in agreement with God. We should get up every
morning and say, “Father, thank You for Your unprecedented favor. Thank You for
the immeasurable, unlimited, surpassing greatness of Your power.” If you keep
standing in faith, I believe you’re going to come into more of those days where
you stand in utter amazement and say, “Wow, God! I’ve never seen anything like
this before!”
Remember,
scripture says, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” No, nothing is
impossible when we put our faith and trust in Him. Keep standing today, keep
believing, keep hoping because God has something astounding in store for your
future!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly
Father, today I set my heart and mind on You. I choose to trust that You are
working behind the scenes on my behalf. I stand strong on Your Word today
knowing that victory is on the way in Jesus’ name. Amen!
—
Joel & Victoria Osteen
sources:
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