Perfect

“He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:6

Perfect  – You have been given a ticket to ride the train to glory.  It was issued to you on the day that God began to transform your life.  You carry that ticket with you every moment of every day.  Today, you need to pull it out and take a good look at the destination.  No matter where to got on this train, the termination is always the same.  And it is not stamped “Heaven”.  It is stamped epiteleo.

The phrase, “will perfect it”, is from the word epiteleo.  It is not just “to complete”.  Paul adds the intensifier epi to the verb teleo so that it means, “to fully complete, to absolutely finish”.  Nothing left out.  God is directing this journey toward His purposes.  When God is finished, I will be just what He intended.  Sometimes I realize how far I still have to go in order to be like Jesus.  I have hardly started this journey.  But that should not make me discouraged because God promises that He will never stop along the way.  He won’t let up until I am all that He intended me to be.  That’s why my transformation keeps going from one crisis and challenge to the next.  God’s not done with me.  When He is, I’ll arrive at home, ready for a life of eternal involvement with Him.

God engineers everything in my life to take me to this destination.  God wastes nothing on this trip.  Even my derailments are aimed at the destination. 

Every day is another day for God to shape me.  Every trial, every trouble and every encounter is another chance to become more like Jesus.  Every single thing in my life can add to my development.  Are you open enough to God to say, “Thank you” for every thing that shapes you?  Look down the track.  Way down there, at the end of the line, is the most wonderful station in the universe – epiteleo – completely finished.  Just hang on.  You’ll get there.