Patti Burris

Philippians 1:6

6 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.

The remarkable painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by  Michelangelo between the years of 1508 and 1512. Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the book of Genesis. The painter designed the scaffold that he used and stood with his neck tilted backward as he painted. I can imagine the extreme discomfort that Michelangelo endured during those four years. It must have seemed at times that this project would never be done.

I’m sure at times, he questioned his sanity and wondered why he ever took on a project this large. There may have been moments when he wanted to quit. He did not quit and the awe inspiring creation that resulted from his dedication remains to this day one of the greatest works of art of all time.

I can picture Michelangelo looking up at this masterpiece and praising God for sustaining him during those 4 years. I’m sure he gave God the glory for completing the work that He had begun in this faithful artist.

We aren’t any different than Michelangelo. We all have God-given skills and talents that God expects us to use to glorify His name. If we are faithful in doing our part to expand the kingdom of God, we can be certain that God will be faithful in completing the work that He started in us.

Even when we make a mess of things, God will still complete the work He started in us. He isn’t going to abandon His purpose because we mess up. There have been many times when He has taken my mistakes and still used them to perfect His purpose. He knows that we are imperfect and are guaranteed to stumble. He will never give up on us. What He started in us, He will complete.

If you ever feel that God can not complete the work He started in you, remember Moses and David. Moses was argumentative and disobedient, but God completed the work He had started in Him. David was a murderer, but was still called, “a man after God’s own heart.” God is not going to give up on you. If you surrender those mistakes to Him, He can and will use them for His good. God will always finish what He starts. He started something unique in you and He will finish what He started. Trust God to do what He says He will do.