True confidence for living comes only from God, the One who invests Himself in us. Self-esteem is not necessary when a person comes to understand who he is in Christ; for that individual will know Jesus-esteem! She will realize that God, who fashioned the universe, has now taken her up as an enterprise!
Philippians 1:6 (NASB) states clearly, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” The Greek root behind “work” in this verse implies “business, employment, that with which anyone is occupied, enterprise; an accomplishment of hand, art, industry, or mind.” Wow! Imagine that a single human being on this celestial orb can be an enterprise of God! You can be an accomplishment of the very mind and hand of the Almighty!
Not only can we be a work of God; we are a “good” work of God. “Good” in this context means “useful, pleasant, excellent, distinguished, or honorable.” When a man comes to Jesus for salvation, his life becomes a good life, in the sense that his life is now honorable and excellent. His life now serves the purpose of bringing God’s ways to the forefront. Our life now brings with it wherever we go the sweet fragrance of grace and the excellence of truth. A woman finds reason to live in the fact that she is useful to her Creator and to every part of the world to which He has commissioned here to take His glory and righteousness.
Amazingly, this good work of God in us will be completed – despite all the troubles of the world and the inconsistencies of humanity. Philippians 1:6 declares that “[God] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” The concept of “perfect” implies “bringing to fulfillment or completion.” It is the same root behind Hebrews 12:2, which promises that Jesus is both the Author and the Finisher of our faith. What He starts, He will surely complete. Many a project of man has been left in the dust – to disintegrate and be forgotten. Not so the project of God!
In fact, contrast happily the work of God to the work of the devil. No matter how diligently, methodically, and diabolically Satan labors to bring about his destructive desires; we know that his work comes to an end. I John 3:8 (NASB) is a verse of huge and comforting proportions: “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” The business of Satan is the promotion of sin and its ultimate outcome – death. Well, his enterprise is crushed by Jesus!
When John here tells us that Satan’s work is destroyed by Jesus, the Greek root means, “loosen, undo, dissolve.” Whatever the devil assumes he has accomplished, God absolutely undoes it. The Creator of all reality can dissolve whatever Satan has tried to assemble. A pivotal example is Jesus’ prophetic claim when He spoke of His body as a temple in John 2:19 (NASB), “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” In other words, it is as if God said, “Go ahead, devil, and do your work. It will be undone. I will dissolve your effort and raise mine up forever.”
Thank you, God, that the good work you do in your people will be brought to completion; it will not fail. Conversely, whatever the enemy tries to do will be undone. What an awesome God! And – to think – He works in you and me.