By Dave Breese

One of the easiest things to do in life is to begin something. We begin a construction project, we begin reading a book, we begin a program of personal or group development, we begin piano lessons. Indeed, there are a thousand activities in life which we have found easy to begin. The hard part, however, is not the beginning. It is keeping the project going. It is finishing well with a completed task. In this regard, we can be most happy, therefore, that we have a great promise from God. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of all time when he said, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). In this helpful passage of Scripture, we have a promise that should be utilized and appreciated by us all. What is that promise? It is the promise that there will be, through thick and thin, a continuing work done by God in the lives of all of us who are believers.

The promise is that God has begun a good work in each one of our lives and having begun, He will perfectly perform that good work through all of life and into eternity. The promise of divine continuance applied to us who are so easily frustrated is a wonderful promise indeed. What does this promise include?

First of all, we have the promise of continuing salvation. Salvation began for each one of us when we believed the Gospel of the grace of God. We thank God for the day when someone said that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day. To our astonishment, we were promised that, when we believe that Gospel, we are instantly given the gift of God which is eternal life.

When we think of it, eternal life would be impossible if it depended upon us. Happily, it depends on the continuing work of Jesus Christ who has promised never to cease that performance. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

We have also the promise of continuing grace. The Bible teaches that we have the grace of God for salvation and also continued divine grace for living our lives as Christians. The Apostle Paul spoke of his own life and said that what he did was not by his power, but “by the grace of God which was with me.” It is proper, therefore, for us to sing “He giveth more grace.” Without the continued flow of the promised grace of God, we would soon tire and expire as Christians. But continuing grace, grace that will never fail, is promised to us by our blessed Lord.

We are also given continued supply of every need. The Apostle Paul gave us a great promise when he said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). Only an omnipotent God could make such a commitment—but our wonderful Lord has done exactly that, committed Himself to our well-being. Therefore, we can all say with the Apostle Paul, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (I Cor. 15:10). So it is that the Scripture promises us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

There are many disquieted Christians who do not really believe that God supplies all of our needs. They tend to forget that He does not promise to respond to every indulgence, but our needs are the object of His continuing, never-failing supply. Indeed, God has obligated Himself to us.

We are also guaranteed the continued presence of Jesus Christ. Our Lord spoke one day to His disciples and said, “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen” (Matt.28:20). These disciples must have listened with ecstasy to those beautiful words. They were, thereby, guaranteed by Jesus Christ Himself, that they would face no problem, no temptation, no difficulty alone. They would always have the presence and the help of Jesus Christ. One of the grandest descriptions of the Christian which is found in the Bible is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). With our lives lived in Jesus Christ and He in us, we have an inseparable relationship with the God of the universe. Without this, we are failing and disconsolate human individuals. With this, the eternal presence of Jesus Christ, we are supremely confident (sometimes it looks like arrogance) that no legitimate task is too great and in no case will we be forsaken by the Lord.

Christ also promises us continued guidance to know where we are going in life—a marvelous thing. This knowledge is precisely and exactly ours when we are guided by Jesus Christ. By His Spirit, He leads us correctly through every twist and every turn in time and eternity. So it is that the Scripture says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). So the Bible says, “The Lord shall guide you continually” (Isa. 58:11). Without that guidance, this is a dark world indeed—even for the Christian. With divine guidance, however, the confusions unravel before us and the crooked road is made straight. How many problems and needless pains we would have avoided in life if we had learned to hear the voice of Christ and had responded correctly to the promptings of His Spirit.

We are, therefore, the people able to continually rejoice, so that Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). Therefore, the happiest group of people in the world are Christians. They are uncowed by the dangers or problems of life, but they daily rejoice at all that they have and are in Jesus Christ. They trust the Scripture which says,“the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). It is, therefore, impossible to discourage them. “Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upholden him that was falling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees” (Job 4:3-4). Jesus Christ is with us, and one day He will come for us. Let nothing, or no one, therefore, steal the joy of living in Christ and for Him in these very days.

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The Christian and His Government

That is a relationship which is the object of great discussion in our time. Because the evangelical cause has greatly expanded in these days, the question presses all the stronger. “How much should a Christian be involved in political things?” is the subject of many an animated discussion.

There is a degree of involvement of which we can be very sure, for it is advocated in the Word of God. The Apostle Paul spoke to Timothy saying, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (I Tim. 2:1,2).

Therefore, let all of us be admonished to pray for the outcome of this upcoming November election. We are to pray for the president and whoever may be president after November. We are to pray for the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Congress and others whose decisions may impact upon us. In that “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,” we may see truly surprising results if the Christian community gives itself to earnest prayer. The Bible says, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:3,4). While praying, let us also pray for spiritual revival within our blessed land. While morals are at a low ebb, spiritual possibilities can be very great.