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Philippians 1:6 - Jesus Can Do It! - Will You Let Him?

Philippians 1:6 (NLT) And I am certain that 
God, who began the good work within you, will 
continue his work until it is finally finished on the 
day when Christ Jesus returns.  

COMMENTARY PEARL

Surrender What Jesus Uncovers
   It takes years for a person to grow to 
adulthood. It takes a full season for fruit to mature 
and ripen. Physical growth and maturity take 
time.   
   The same is true for spiritual growth. 
The development of Christlike character cant 
be rushed. The fruit of the Spirit - like 
physical fruit - only develops with plenty of time. 
   During the process of spiritual growth, 
God slowly uncovers parts of your life that need 
to change in order to be more like Jesus. 
   Think of your life before Christ. He may 
have allowed you to experience problems. Lifes 
difficulties helped him get your attention and let you 
see your life was built on a faulty foundation. 
(And, actually, its that faulty foundation that 
caused many of the problems in the first place.) 
   Jesus wants you to surrender all of your 
life to him. He doesnt want just a small 
portion of who you are. He wants access to all of 
you.  
   Its like this: When you open the door 
of your life to Jesus, he comes in. Lets 
imagine you invite him into your house. In the 
living room, you tell him, This is your home 
now, and I want to live here the way you want me 
to live.  
   In the kitchen, you say, Youre just 
like family. In fact, really, Im now part of 
your family, and Im so grateful for all you 
provide. And so it goes, until you get to a closed 
door. Jesus wants to go in, but you say, No, 
that part of my life is closed to you. I dont 
want you going in there.  
   When you invited Jesus into your life, 
did you give him complete access? Have you 
resisted his efforts to help you mature because you 
insist on keeping some things behind closed doors? 
Jesus doesnt want you to limit how or where he 
works in your life. Otherwise, youre limiting 
how much you can mature.  
   Jesus wants you to give him all of 
yourself. 
   You may think youve surrendered all of 
your life to Jesus, but the truth is youre 
still hanging on to some parts of your life. Jesus 
isnt upset with you. He simply wants to work with 
you to help you uncover areas that you still 
need to surrender to him. 
   Its a long process - and some days it 
will feel like a struggle or even a battle. But 
the good news is that the outcome is certain. 
God has promised that he, who began the good 
work within you, will continue his work until it 
is finally finished on the day when Christ 
Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6 NLT). [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

COMMENTARY

There are those who have known the pardoning 
love of Christ and who really desire to be 
children of God, yet they realize that their 
character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they 
are ready to doubt whether their hearts have 
been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would 
say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often 
have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus 
because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are 
not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome 
by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken 
and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right 
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 
Said the beloved John, "These things write I unto 
you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have 
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the 
righteous." 1 John 2:1. And do not forget the words of 
Christ, "The Father Himself loveth you." John 16:27. 
He desires to restore you to Himself, to see 
His own purity and holiness reflected in you. 
And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He 
that hath begun a good work in you will carry it 
forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more 
fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust 
our own power, let us trust the power of our 
Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of 
our countenance. SC64-5 

ILLUSTRATION

   There are days I think back wistfully as 
I contemplate the size jeans I wore in high 
school, but the older I get the less I want to go 
back to those days. I don't want to return to the 
immature, self-centered, self-indulgent person that I 
was. Even when I gave my heart and life to Jesus 
at age seventeen I had a long way to go. And 
Jesus was patient with me. Over the years I've 
faced joy and suffering, gain and loss. I've had 
success and failure, and embraced new life in my 
family. Through it all, I've learned more about 
myself and more about Jesus. I can see the good 
work that He started when I prayed my first 
honest prayer of submission. I can see the journey 
He's taken me on. It's a journey that hasn't been 
easy, but I wouldn't trade it for the relationship 
I have with Jesus now. 
   Looking back also causes me to look 
forward. In my middle-age years it's possible that I 
still have half my life to go. Thankfully God will 
continue his work in me until "the day when Christ 
Jesus returns." As Peter says, "May God give you 
more and more grace and peace as you grow in your 
knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter 1:2 
NLT). I used to think this grace and peace focused 
on dealing with others, but now I understand it 
also means acceptance myself. We all need to know 
how to give ourselves grace - and have peace 
deep inside - knowing that Jesus is still working 
and He won't give up on us  ever. by Tricia 
Goyer 
   Faith Step: Think of one or two areas 
where you need to give yourself grace and peace. 
Pray and ask Jesus to help you to be gracious to 
yourself as you travel on your journey to maturity. 
[Mornings With Jesus 2018 Devotional by Guideposts and 
Zondervan] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE

Philippians 1:6 - Jesus Can Do It! - Will 
You Let Him? 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191118-1018.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David 
DeRose, MD, MPH: 
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides: 
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE 

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor: 
https://www.revelationnow.com/ 

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657