Oakwood Church Fresh Start Women's Devotional Encouragement for Today Hartland Delafield

The Ending
By Elizabeth Cole

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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 1:6

What a washout. He’s forty years old. Adopted at an early age into great wealth, he rebels and rejects his adoptive family, murders a man, escapes with just his life and is on the lam for years…

The day before God came to him in a burning bush, you would’ve looked at Moses and considered his life all but over. Any dreams he’d had in his younger years were long buried in the sands of Egypt. Grandiose plans for a full and rich career had certainly died right alongside the murdered slave driver. But then God called his name: “Moses, Moses.” God wasn’t remotely finished with this man who “can’t talk so well.”

How often do we forget that our God…the God whom we call all-knowing and all-present…is far above our concept of time? While you and I see each other (and ourselves) only as we currently are, the Lord God sees us as we’ll be. He knows the ending of our story and what we’ll look like in all our divine, heavenly perfection. In the middle of today’s failure…He knows what we will be. Still dealing with the consequences of past sin…He knows who we’re becoming.

This God who lovingly chose you before time began, who knew right where you’d be this day, has a purpose for you both today and  tomorrow. His intention is single-minded, His power unending, His commitment beyond measure. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

GOING DEEPER:
1. What encouragement do you find in the story of Moses? How does it apply to your life today?
2. What steps can you take in this season of your life to be ready for when God calls you to the next?
3. Is there a part of your past that you’ve decided disqualifies you from God’s completing work? If so, will you surrender it into His hands and trust that He’s big enough to use even that for His purpose?

FURTHER READING:
Exodus 1-4; Hebrews 11:24-29

Elizabeth is a wife, mother to three grown daughters, and Director of Connecting and  We Women at Oakwood Church.