The Gift That Keeps on Giving
There are some people God has placed in your life who stir gratitude every time you hear their name. Some have crossed that thin line of eternity and look down from the bleachers of heaven and cheer you on. Others are living close by, and some, due to distance and time, you only get to hear from occasionally, but your gratitude continues.
As Paul opened his letter to the church in Philippi, he was thinking about some of those people he had met years earlier when he established a church there. Now in prison and unable to travel to see his friends, he wrote a letter to express his gratitude and to remind them of who they are in Christ and in what they were called to do as followers of Jesus.
Take a minute and think of those names. I imagine that some are mentors, teachers, grandparents, spouses, children, colleagues, teammates, classmates, and people who you attended church with at some time or other. And when you remember or hear their names, you can’t help but smile.
For Paul the memories were intense because he realized that this group in Philippi had been and still was his partners in ministry. They were people who he had spent time with, invested in, and now they were still deeply invested in him. In fact they sent Paul a gift delivered by a friend so that Paul’s needs were met even while he was in prison.
As Paul expressed his gratitude for this group of people, he also made a proclamation of truth about them and their work: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
So how long does the impact of a believer’s life last? Is it until we move to another city or job? Or is it until we die? According to this passage, I think it is all the way until Jesus returns.
I bet you can think about people who died long ago yet still have an impact on your life. When we surrender our lives to God through faith in Jesus, we become part of an eternal kingdom that continues to advance all the way until the day that Jesus returns to renew and restore all of creation. And it doesn’t stop then; it simply gets better!
As we age, sometimes we have the false idea that our lives and influence are coming to an end at the same time. Yet according to Paul’s description in chapter one, God continues to use our godly influence over and over. It passes from one generation to the next, all the way until Jesus returns. What you do, what you say, how you live matters today, tomorrow, and well beyond our lifetimes.
So today, wherever you are, whether your body is weak or strong, let your prayers rise to heaven and your words and deeds reflect the love of Jesus. When we offer ourselves to God, our influence joins with those who still influence us even from the grandstands of eternity.
Thank you, Father, for this precious promise that when we live for Jesus, our life’s work continues beyond the grave. Use our witness today to encourage, comfort, and strengthen someone in need. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Philippians 1:3-11 ESV
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