Stay to the End

First, I must deeply and humbly thank you all for the words of encouragement from my last post regarding Caleb.  This past year has been quite a challenge for him, for us, but I know God has used it to draw us to His feet.  God has a special plan for each of us and I cling to all His promises for Caleb and for the future he has ahead of him.

A few nights ago, the weather was cold, wet, and as a result several of us were not feeling well.  I placed a leftover pot of soup on the stove to heat it through thinking that would be a perfect dinner considering our sickly state.  I went into the living room and began talking with Reagan and became distracted.  Now, I have expressed this before, but I am a pretty good cook.  It is not uncommon that others will request recipes from me and if practice makes perfect- I should be a professional chef soon!  Regardless, I forgot about the soup until my nose detected a strange smell coming from the kitchen and found smoke pouring out of the pot on the stove.   I moved it off the burner and tried to start the vent, but smoke filled the house and Reagan had to open some windows and the back door to the house in order to air things out.  I checked the soup and it was fine except that thick burned part at the bottom of the pan.  I took a taste of it and the flavor resembled what I would imagine charcoal might taste like.  We had pizza for dinner.  Go ahead- laugh- the pizza guy did.

I thought about this when I was studying the last part of our passage from Romans 8.... Do you have it memorized yet? 

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun." (Romans 8:26-30 MSG)

I love the last part of this passage.. "he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun."  My friend, no matter what God is doing in your life, He will complete it.  Is He healing you of heartaches and past hurts?  He will complete it.  Is He restoring you to a new life and purpose in Him?  He will complete it.  Is He taking you down a path that you would have never imagined?  He will complete it.  He is ever present and always attentive to your needs and will not leave you...not ever.  When this life is over and you are finally "complete" in Him, He will take you home.  I did not watch my pot... I did not complete the task that I was doing and I am so thankful that God is everything that I am not!

I also love the part of the passage that God calls His people by name.... let that realization sink into your deepest core.  The divine God of the universe knows your name and calls you gently into His presence.  Too often in our society, we are reduced to a number.... driver's license number, social security number, or account number.  Not so with the Father.  He knows every detail about you and tenderly calls you by name. 

I have to share the remainder of chapter 8 from Romans because it is so encouraging and precious to my soul....

"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (Romans 8:31-39 MSG)

Oh Lord God.... My Incredible Father... it is so hard for me to fully realize that nothing...absolutely nothing can get between us and your love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us..... my heart may never fully comprehend that kind of love.  I long to know the deepness of your love for me Father so that I will never look to anything else. 

Have a blessed day, my Friend.