“All I know most surely about morality and obligation I owe to football”,
The long view
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 1:6This devotional was inspired by a tweet by Sanya Richards-Ross: “Like Joseph, who had a dream for his life...We learn it won't happen overnight, there will be pits, but God will finish what He starts in u!”
I was struck by the link to Joseph’s life of ups and downs – the dreams, being misunderstood, being abused by his brothers, sold into slavery, serving with integrity, being imprisoned, serving in the prison, being released and becoming ruler of Egypt. While most of us will not experience such extremes in life, I can think of a few athletes who have experienced the highs and lows of medals, injuries, missing major championships, comebacks etc.
The Philippians verse stresses two important principles: It is God who began the work and God who will complete it and, secondly, that it will be completed by the day of Christ Jesus.
The first point gives us confidence that God will not abandon us half way through the process but will complete the process of salvation, being with us in life, taking us through death to be with him forever. The second point reminds us, as Sanya says that it may not happen overnight. I wonder if Joseph sometimes sat in his prison cell wondering what had happened to the dreams God had given him. How could he fulfil his destiny if he was sitting in a prison cell?
Towards the end of his life Joseph was able to say: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives”.
Two things to take from today’s email: an assurance that whatever you are going through, God is in it with you and he will bring you to where he wants you to be