A Tough Life Redeemed

Philippians 1:6                                               A Tough Life Redeemed

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (NIV).

What a gnarled and twisted tree this is.  It must have endured a difficult life.  Its scars show the results of the difficulties it has endured.  And then it died, and it will rot and go back to the soil from which it came.

We all know people who show scars of a difficult life.  Their bodies may be twisted and bent, and their hearts may be downcast.  Depression can be seen on their faces; hope is nowhere to be seen.  The tree, after enduring storms throughout its life, died and fell to the ground.  There is no chance of making the tree straight, green, and beautiful again.  It is done, finished.  Not so with the man who has endured pain and difficulties throughout his life.  At some point, his body will die, but if He has received Jesus as Savior, the verse above is applied.  “…He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion….”  So what’s this good work?  It is a renewed spirit that began when he accepted Jesus.  God has a plan for each individual, a special plan just for that person.  When a person has accepted Jesus, that plan can begin to unfold.  Growth in the Christian life occurs and the individual will begin to get a glimpse of what God’s plan is for him or her.  Once the individual learns his or her mission in life–be assured that each person has a mission–life can get exciting.  The range of missions range from the well-known public speaker to the most menial task in the local church.  But, make no mistake, the mission is important to both God and the Church.  There are no second-class citizens or workers in God’s kingdom .

And after death, each individual will live a life of no fear, no pain, no anxiety.  He will abide with His Savior eternally in a place prepared for him, his own special place in heaven.  Some may ask, “But what about his gnarled and twisted body?”  Once his old earthly body has finished living, his new, perfect, eternal body will take over and live in joy for eternity.

It helps me to look at this gnarled and twisted tree, and picture it as my earthly body being straightened and filled with green leaves by my Savior and Lord.  God can do that, and He does do it on a regular basis.