God Himself will finish the job

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 1: 6)

St. James advises us “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.”  How do we do Philippians 1:6?  Not every word of God can be put into practice.  Some of them like Philippians 1:6, we give our assent of faith.  When I read this word this morning, I rejoiced in it.  I know that God started a good work in me in 1994.  I have never doubted it for a moment.  At times, the going gets really tough and doubts creep in.  This is when I need scriptures like Philippians 1:6 to remind me that God is faithful.  The message to me is clear.  Relax.  Believe.  Be steadfast and wait for God. God who started this journey will bring it to successful conclusion in His own time and manner.  Trust the system.  Trust the 7-Way Plan.  Thank you Jesus.

Why does the word of God affect us so deeply?  I read something from the Focolare Word of Life which answers this question excellently for me:

“The words of Jesus, in fact, are not like human words.  Jesus is present in them as he is present in the Eucharist, though in a different way.  Through his words, Christ enters us, and by accepting them and putting them into practice, we allow him to be born and grow in our hearts.

Pope Paul VI said: ‘How does Jesus become present in our souls?  Through the communication of the word, the divine thought is conveyed; the Word, the Son of God made man, is conveyed.  We could assert that the Lord becomes incarnate in us when we allow his word to come and dwell within us.’

The word of Jesus is also compared to a seed sown in the heart of the believer.  When it is welcomed, it penetrates deeply, and like a seed, it develops, grows and bears much fruit.  It “Christifies” us, making us similar to Christ. 

The word, which has entered a person’s life through the power of the Spirit, truly has the ability and strength to keep the Christian from evil: that is, as long as we allow the word to act in us, we will be free from sin and, therefore, pure.  We will sin only if we cease to obey the truth.” (Focolare Word of Life, April 2012)