A Flourishing Finish

A Flourishing Finish

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

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 1:6, NIV.

TODAY’S WORD

Everyone goes through seasons of disappointment or difficulty. We all have unexpected setbacks. Maybe you’re going through something right now that you don’t understand. Here’s the good news: that disappointment is not the final chapter. God never ends in a negative. If you will keep moving forward with your life, God promises that He will bring you to a flourishing finish. Not a defeated finish, a bankrupt finish, a betrayed finish, or a barely-get-by finish. No, in your future, God has a victorious finish.

That setback, disappointment or betrayal that seems like it’s working against you, God knows how to turn it around and cause it to work for you. The key is that when you’re in difficult times, don’t settle where you are. Don’t put your roots down and think that things are never going to change. No, for every setback, God has already lined up a comeback. For every injustice, He has vindication. For every disappointment, He has restoration. Right now, just begin to thank Him for what He’s going to do. Praise Him for His faithfulness. Rejoice today because He has a plan to bring you into a flourishing finish!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I choose to cast my cares on You. I choose to trust even when I don’t understand. I choose to believe that You have a good plan and will bring me to a flourishing finish in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

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Trust in God’s Loving Care by Rick Warren “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.” (Philippians 4:6-7 LB) There is no such thing as a problem-free life. You just have to learn to have peace in the middle of your problems, or you’re never going to have peace — period. As soon as one pops up and you deal with it, another one is going to take its place. So, why is your life just one problem after another? There are three reasons: First, Adam choked. He blew it. He and Eve gave into temptation and allowed sin to come into the world, and we’re all paying the consequences. We live in a fallen world. Second, you have an enemy, and his name is Satan. He wants to mess with your mind, your family, your health, your finances — particularly if you are a follower of Christ and you’re trying to do the right thing. On top of all that, you make your own mistakes. Most of the problems and pain in your life comes from your own poor decisions. When we make dumb decisions, we pay the penalties. But sometimes the pain in your life is no one’s fault. Sometimes there’s a problem in your life so that the work of God may be displayed in your life. Regardless of why you have the problem that’s unsolvable, unchangeable, unexplainable, or uncontrollable, whether it came from the world, the devil, or yourself, you still need the same response every time — trust in the loving care of God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand” (NLT). That’s the path to peace. Trust God’s loving care in the situation. Talk It Over What evidence is there in your life of God using your struggles to point others to him? How do other people respond when they witness your peace in the midst of difficult circumstances?