SCRIPTURE:
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:3-6, NIV)

Approach Question:
Who have you put your confidence in?

Observations:
I asked myself according to v.6 what is Paul confident about?
Being confident of this,
1. That He who began a GOOD WORK in you
2. Will carry it on to COMPLETION
3. Until the day of CHRIST JESUS!

Interpretation:
I asked myself what does 'confident' mean?
What came to my mind is an assurance without any doubt.

Interpretation:
I asked myself why is it significant that Paul is able to write, 'being confident of this'?
It becomes that much more significant to see Paul being confident in Jesus Christ even though he is under arrest and in chains. It shows that Paul being confident goes beyond what he is facing to trust and have assurance in Jesus Christ that He will also bless the Philippians with three wonderful promises revealed in words such as GOOD WORK, COMPLETION, and CHRIST JESUS. Paul believes that for himself too and not just for the Philippians.

"Being confident" is a present confidence that Paul has even though he is in jail. This confidence lies in the fact that when God begins a GOOD WORK in someone, He will finish it to COMPLETION. We all can take comfort in knowing that just coming to Christ is a GOOD WORK the Lord has performed in our life. Since He began that GOOD WORK, He will carry it to COMPLETION (our Salvation is secure in Him). You can be confident this very moment that the Lord Jesus will finish the work He has started in you even in other areas of your life.

 It goes beyond just having Salvation but into the core of our lives as we are being sanctified by Him. Specifically, Paul realizes no matter what situation he is faced with, having a partnership in the Gospel is a good work that the Lord will finish to completion.

Implications:

I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
After 22 years of faithfully working in a job, I lost it recently. Sometimes, it feels like a dream and not reality. How it happened is painful too. What we are going through is painful but also filled with hope. The apostle Paul who was chained to a guard in jail is able to write to the Philippians:  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Wow! Paul who is in jail is able to tell the Philippians that he is confident in the Lord that He who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. This is the confidence Paul had in Jesus. I need to have that same confidence in the Lord even though I have lost my job after 22 years of service. My confidence in the Lord should not be based on outward circumstances but for who He is. Paul's faith never wavered even in jail. 

I tell myself, 'All things work together for good to them that love God and are fitting into His plans." (Romans 8:28) and "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, they are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope!" (Jeremiah 29:11) We are so thankful to the Lord that even in this loss, through reflection and prayer, I felt called to do ministry with Pittsburgh Standard fulltime. The challenging aspect has been to fundraise but we are so thankful to those of you who have faithfully partnered with us in this ministry. A comforting verse came to me in Psalm 9 that said, "You have vindicated my work, declaring from your throne that it is good." I needed to hear  that from the Lord because at times it has been very discouraging for Chandra and I and at times it has been exciting to embark on this journey. Philippians 1:6 comforts me a lot.

No matter what I am faced with, I can be confident that the Lord Jesus is right besides me and will finish the GOOD WORK He started in me to COMPLETION. Praise the Lord! Even when I mess up, I know my Lord and Savior is there for me. No matter how I feel about myself and where I have been, I can be assured that when Jesus Christ saved me, Jesus began a GOOD WORK in me. Since Jesus began a GOOD WORK in me, Jesus is One who will carry it on to COMPLETION what He started until that day when it is completed and I see Jesus face to face.

Until then I can be reassured everyday no matter what I am going through that my confidence can be in Jesus Christ for He is working in me through all the weaknesses, trials, and tribulations. Praise the Lord. He will finish the good work of my partnership in the Gospel to completion. I can have my confidence in Christ in all areas of my life! Amen!

I am not where I  desire to be when it comes to my relationship with the Lord but I know it is a process that begins with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus for your promise in Philippians 1:6 for me.

Amidst the trials, tribulations, sins, etc, I got to see that the Lord Jesus is not done with me yet in the GOOD WORK HE BEGAN. Even, now He will carry it on to COMPLETION until the day of CHRIST JESUS! Thank you Jesus.

I know my confidence cannot be in any human being no matter how powerful I think they are, for no human being can finish the good work in me without the Lord using them. Every human being fails without the intervention of the Lord. But with the Lord there is hope!  I put so much confidence in a man to restore my job but no matter how powerful he was, he could not do it either. This reminded me:

"Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever." (Psalm 146:3-6, NLT)

As we embark on this new journey, I am confident in Jesus that He will work in me through all the weaknesses to make me and place me where He wants me to be for His honor and glory! Praise the Lord.  We are also confident that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will continue to raise up prayer and financial partners as we desire to do full time ministry. Thank you Jesus! We hold on to hope!

Friend, you too can have the confidence that the Lord Jesus will work in your life as you yield to Him. He has a way of placing the right people at the right time to make an impact beginning a good work in you to finish it to completion until His return. But for that to happen, you need to ask yourself, where are you confident in. For me, it has to start with  Jesus Christ alone, taking the help He provides.

I ask you now dear friend, why be  C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in the Lord?
Dear friend, I don't know about you but this I know that Paul did not put his confidence in himself with all his training, degrees, accomplishments, etc. He did not even put his confidence in the good he thought he did but IN CHRIST ALONE THE HOPE OF GLORY. It is this confidence in Christ that helped him through years of prison, through shipwrecks, and persecutions. His confidence in Christ is what gave Him the strength to get through because He knew who was going to take care of Him no matter what happens.

I don't know where you are confident in. You maybe confident in your parents, your husband/wife, your boy/girl friend, your friends, your pastors, your bosss. your accomplishments, your degrees, your awards, your training, and the list can go on and on but all these things and even people will fail us except ONE. Yes, you maybe reading this and thinking, I don't know what's he talking about because look at my life, I have things together. That's the problem friend when you think you have things together.

What happens when things are not together in your life?

Will you crumble and fall to the wayside or will you stand firm?

When I have put my confidence in so many things without Christ, I have seen only shortcomings and failures because of allowing sin to take control of my life. Jesus does not want that for me and you. Jesus wants us to put our confidence in Him.

"No one is good, not one, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!" (Romans 3)

But, He who began a GOOD WORK IN YOU will carry it on to COMPLETION until the day of JESUS CHRIST.  (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

It is not anything we can take credit for but all the credit goes to Jesus Christ for the price He paid when He died and rose again to save us. Praise the Lord for His intervention poured out in our lives by His precious cleansing Blood!  Amen!

Friend, Jesus calls you by name! You are precious and special in His sight. No matter where you are or have been, you are never out of His love and never out of His reach. You can come as you are to the Fountain of Blessing and find hope in time of need. Praise the Lord!

Only our confidence in GOD should be the ultimate confidence we should have. Because God promised a wonderful promise for not just the Philippians whom Paul could write with assurance but this promise is for you and me too, we can be excited. Our God in whom we put our confidence in will never fail us. I am talking about Jesus Christ who is God-incarnate who came to save you and me from the bondage of sin and death.

So, only in Christ should be where we are confident in and no one else. Yes, friend no one else. It is Christ the hope of glory 'Being confident of this, that He who began a GOOD WORK in you will carry it on to COMPLETION until the day of Jesus Christ!' (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Allow Him to use people in your life to help you as the Lord has used people in my own life to help me.  Thank you Jesus.

Paul is able to write this promise from jail! Why is it we have such a hard time claiming God's promises? One reason is because we do not spend enough time with the Lord to realize how much He loves us and cares for us. When things seem to go wrong in your life, don't automatically think that God is far from you or has abandoned you. Scripture reminds us  we will have trials and tribulations but blessed is the one who perseveres till the end allowing God to finish the work He started. Please, please don't give the Lord second place in your life. Most of our sorrows and pain results because we give ourselves first place and give the Lord the meager minutes of the day if we even give him those minutes :( It is important to remember that Christ offers us forever infinite, daily, neverending truth in his promises.

May you experience your confidence in Christ alone the hope of glory knowing Christ offers now forever imparting diligently everyday nurturing Truth!

The purpose of today's devotional is to know that our confidence in life can always be based on Christ's work in us.

"Christ Offers Now Forever Imparting Diligently Everyday Nurturing Truth! (C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T)/"Why be C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in the Lord?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving me so much and dying for my sin.  Thank you for the confidence you gave Paul to rest in you and be assured that you will take care of the Philippians with the good work you began. Thank you Jesus that Paul's confidence was based in you though he was in jail. Wow! I want to be confident in you always Jesus. Please help me Jesus for I am really weak in a lot of areas but I thank you so much for your promise of He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. I praise you Lord and my heart wells up with joy. Thank you Jesus so much that you also promise, 'My grace is sufficient for you and in my weaknesses, in you I will find strength. Thanks Jesus so much. I pray right now for those who are confident in so many things other than you. Forgive them Oh Lord and bring them to you. Forgive us and help us by taking our fears and we thank you that we can rest in you knowing you offer now forever imparting diligently everyday nurturing truth! Amen! Thank you for hearing us and answering our prayer. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!