But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The L ord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!" 1Samuel 17: 34-37 (NLT)
David saw the God Picture when he
saw Goliath. The fighting men of
The next lesson from the key verse is that God has every intention of completing that good work He has started in us. He does not save us without purpose. There is a reason why God chose You. There is a plan He has, a God Picture, and you are a part of it! But you have to be a willing part of it. There is nothing sadder than knowledge without application. To know that you have a purpose and to then proceed to never fulfill it. After Peter denies Christ three times, here is where Jesus finds him again:
"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21: 3 (NIV)
Where did Jesus originally find Peter when he was first called? Fishing. Now that Peter has experienced the ultimate failure, he returns to his former life. "I'm going out to fish" may have well read "I'm giving up going back to my old life..." But Peter had a calling beyond the wilderness he was in. He had a calling beyond the trees he couldn't see past. He had a purpose in the God Picture that he couldn't see yet. Jesus would restore Peter that day and Peter would go on to preach the first Christian sermon at Pentecost. He would build the early church. God would complete the work He started in Peter because Peter was willing. We must be as willing to look past the trees that haunt us and see the God Picture beyond.
Lastly, the key
verse teaches us that we are always learning. We are always evolving in Christ.
Note that the verse does not say "Until you mature." It does not say, "Until
you turn 50." It does not say, "Until you save 100 people." The completing work
that God promises to do in you is an ongoing process that does not end in this
lifetime. It ends when Christ returns. Too often we can become complacent in
our walk. We can think that we have it all together and claim some mantle of
completion we have not earned. Our spirit can become unteachable. God has a
picture He is working on behind the scenes and you are a part of it. He is
doing a perfecting work of completion inside of you but we must be a willing
participant. This work is perpetual beloved. It is ongoing. Think of the
Apostle Paul. Survivor of three missionary journeys. Evangelized the entire
known world. As he waits in
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - 2Timothy 4: 6-8 (NIV)
I do not know where this devotional finds you today. I do not know the valley you find yourself in. I do not know how large and intimidating the trees look that are before you. What I do know is that God is bigger than them. What I do know is there is a bigger picture beyond the trees in the forest of our lives. And beyond that is a God Picture He is painting on the canvas of this world. We need to finish the race strong. We need to keep up the good fight. I am confident that the creator of the entire universe the great "I Am" will complete the work He has started in you if you will yield to the God Picture for your life and remain teachable and ready for the part He has for you to play. Every tree builds the forest. Every forest stretches the canvas for His picture. Do not give up in the middle of the completing work He is doing in your life.
