The Work in Progress

"He who began the good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ," says Paul in Philippians 1:6.

Every single word of the above rings true. If you would but open your eyes to notice, you'll see that God has and is bringing circumstances and people into your life to mould and refine you.

Each Christian is a work in progress; we all have a sign hanging over our heads, flashing in bright neon colors: "TO BE COMPLETED". And believe you me, we will be.
Now, this incessant flashing of the sign is, of course, wholly metaphorical. However, it is this very thing that sets us Christians apart from the rest of the world, and makes us such obvious targets for the devil and his minions.

In a place engulfed by total darkness, what is more welcome, and more conspicuous, than emanating light? It is a welcome relief to those who are lost in the dark, but it annoys the socks off enemies-in-hiding. Who wants light when it shines and reveals what they are at work in the dark? Certainly not them. So shine we must!

Remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood?

Now picture this: Said fairytale character is skippity-hoppity-ing gaily through the woods, wearing said costume (the infamous red hood). Suddenly, she morphs into someone who looks a lot like... oh, wait a minute, it's YOU! The story runs its usual course, ending with the hunter killing the big bad wolf. Whoopee doo.

In this metaphorical illustration, said wolf is the representation of the devil. The beautiful flowers along the way tempted Red Riding Hood, hence creating opportunities for the wolf to get to grandma's house first. Likewise, we often find ourselves tempted and falling into satan's schemes.

The dangerous process goes when one faces a temptation, gives in to carnal desire, and bham! Into the pitfalls of sin you go. There is a definitive line between right and wrong. One wrong move and the score board moves one up to satan.

Query: How then, are we mere mortals, going to go about stomping out the darkness?

Well, God has already done that on our behalf! He's already cursed the devil to eternal damnation in the torturous lake of fire. So now, we can all go from horribly miserable to massively jubilant. The victory is ours and the war had already been won even before we started fighting.

"It is finished," Jesus said.

Indeed we have been blessed with a wonderful gift; a different perspective on life, a specific goal. Take this gift and use it well.