There comes a time when the true believer must take his stand on the oath and covenant of God and refuse to be shaken. He must lift high his happy affirmation, not in arrogance, but in faith and in deep humility. Perhaps his declaration of independence will go something like this: I am not yet perfect, but I thank God and my Lord Jesus Christ that I am done with the past and I do now trust in my Savior for full deliverance from all my sins. I cannot pray like Daniel, but I shall never cease to praise God that He inclines His ear to me. I am not as wise as Solomon, but I glory in this, that "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). I have not the gifts of Moses or Isaiah or John, but I'll be everlastingly grateful that I have been given the moral perception to understand and appreciate such men as these. I am not what I want to be, but thanks be to God that I do want to be better than I am; and I am sure that "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). Here I stand. I can do nothing else, so help me God.

A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer

Personal Commitment to Growth

For Reading and Meditation:      John 15:12-27We continue meditating on the eighth and final Beatitude. One of the questions that has often puzzled people concerning this matter of suffering and persecution is this: Why is it that Christians, when they do good, are often persecuted, while non-Christians who do the same kind of good are adored? One commentator suggests the reason for this is that when non- Christians do good, other non-Christians find it easy to identify with them and say to themselves: "These people are just like me when I am at my best." The thinking that goes on below the threshold of a non-Christian's mind when he sees other non-Christians doing good is along the line of: "I am probably capable of the same thing myself if the opportunity came my way." The admiration that is then given is a way of paying a compliment to oneself. The Christian who does good has about him or her the atmosphere of another world, and because of this, the non-Christian observes, not just their act of good, but the different motivation that underlies the act. They sense that there is something different about this person, and because they cannot understand or explain the difference, they react with fear and the fear then turns to hostility. Psychologists have a name for this fear - xenophobia. It means fear of someone we do not know or understand. This is why the scribes and Pharisees hated our Lord so much. It wasn't because He was good; it was because He was different. This is the effect Jesus Christ always has upon the world. And to the extent that you reflect His spirit, to that extent you will experience the same reaction. "A Christian's reason for doing good is different"O Father, I see that if I just try to do good, the world will applaud me, but if I try to become Christlike, it will hate me. Nevertheless I long to be Christlike. Help me, dear Father, for apart from Your grace, I know it is not possible. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Philippians 1:1-14</li><li>Colossians 4:3</li><li>2 Timothy 1:7-8</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How did Paul view persecution?</li><li>What was his charge to Timothy?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"' you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (v. 19)

For Reading and Meditation:      Jude 1:1-16What makes the Christian faith different from every other faith? Prince Charles, who is next in line to the British throne, has let it be known that if and when he becomes king he would like to be regarded as Defender of all faiths rather than Defender of the faith - the Christian faith. Living now as we do in a multi-faith rather than a Christian society, he said, it is important that this shift be reflected in the duties of the monarch. No Christian would want to deny any individual or group the right to follow or practice the faith of their choice, but we must be careful that tolerance of other religions does not cause us to fall into the trap of thinking that Christianity is just one religion among many. Decidedly, it is not. Christianity is in a category all by itself. If that belief opens us up to the charge of arrogance, then so be it. Recently, I heard a religious commentator say on television that one religion is as good as another. One religion as good as another? How utterly absurd. It sounds broadminded but actually it is the judgment of ignorance. No one would ever make that statement if they understood the purpose of Christ's coming to this world, His atoning death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection. We are not unmindful of the spiritual glow which comes from other lamps, but our claim for Jesus is the claim He made for Himself - He alone is the Light of the world, and thus utterly indispensable to salvation.O Father, help me comprehend even more fully and clearly the truths of the faith into which, by Your grace, You have brought me. I cannot live by opinions, I must live by convictions. May Your truths become my convictions. In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Philippians 1:1-27</li><li>Galatians 2:1-8</li><li>1 Corinthians 9:17</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did Paul admonish the Philippians for?</li><li>What was Paul entrusted with?</li></ul></div></div>

"... contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." (v. 3)

For Reading and Meditation:      Philippians 1:3-11We saw yesterday how the psalmist sensed that despite his doubts and failures he was still accepted by God. But there's more - he realises also that God's restraining hand has been constantly with him: "You hold me by my right hand" (Psalm 73:23). What was it, after all, that prevented him going over the brink? It was the protecting hand of God. God Himself had put it in his mind to go into the sanctuary and had thereby turned him round. Realising that, he thinks of the future. What is the future going to be like? His conclusion is that the future is going to be just as secure, for: "You guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will take me into glory" (v. 24). Can you sense the psalmist's security as he contemplates the future? He is saying, in effect: "You are doing this now, holding me by my right hand, protecting me, restraining me, restoring me and delivering me, and I know You will keep on doing this right up to the time when I meet with you in glory." How does God guide us? Through circumstances, through reason, through the fellowship of Christians, but mainly through the Scriptures. The Word of God, when we consult it, unfolds reality, dispels illusion and guides us safely through the snares and problems of this earthly way until we eventually arrive in glory. The psalmist had seen the end of the ungodly and it had helped to change his perspective. Now he sees the end of the godly and thus his perspective becomes even more clear. And what is the end of the godly? It is glory! O Father, let the prospect of coming glory fill and thrill my soul this day and every day. Help me never to forget that no matter how hard and difficult my earthly pilgrimage may be, it is as nothing compared to the glory that lies ahead. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>1 Peter 1:1-6</li><li>Jude 1:24</li><li>Genesis 28:15</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Of what was Peter convinced?</li><li>How did Jude put it?</li></ul></div></div>

" he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (v. 6) 

He is not as one who begins to build without having counted the cost. Not as a sculptor who begins to execute a work without having ascertained the impracticable nature of his material. These are the shameful mistakes of men. God is not a workman that will need to be ashamed. He has called together a goodly company of the nobility of heaven to look on, while he brings a holy creature out of your unholy nature. Will he lay down his implements and say, " I miscalculated?" They that know that a good work has been begun in them, are entitled to entertain an unwavering confidence that it will proceed until the day of Christ, when the believer shall be presented unblemished, spotless, perfect, before the throne. It proceeds until that day. It is not begun, relinquished, begun again, and again relinquished, but is performed until the day of Christ. So you have not to go to the past to know if a good work has been begun; it exists within you now. The work goes on. God is busied with you, and in you, while you live. From your first perception of Christ crucified, to your presentation before the Lord of glory, you are wrought upon by the creative power of God.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6. 

Acts 26:1-30<div class="center-it mtb10">Saul the Pharisee, who consented to the death of Stephen (Acts 8:1), immediately gave himself to persecuting the Christians. Unless all he had been taught was false, every believer in Christ was a transgressor of the law, and to the support of the law - Paul had devoted his life. Only when his eyes were opened by Christ, did he see his mistake. This should be remembered when we are tempted to be uncharitable in our interpretation of motives which we condemn. Many of those with whose conduct Christian men and women disagree, are not willfully wrongdoers - some of them are merely misguided. This does not excuse them - but it is a claim on our charity.</div>Years after Paul had learned his error, he told Agrippa the story of his conversion. He described the vision and told of the words of Christ. It was a vision of Christ that Paul saw. He knew now that Jesus was the Messiah, and turned at once to follow Him. Heavenly visions come to people, inviting them away from evil and from worldliness, to pure, good, true and divine things. The Christian mother's teachings, as she holds her little one on her knee and talks to it of Jesus - places before the young eyes a vision of the Savior in His beauty and grace and love. Every sermon in which Christ is lifted up - sets the vision before the young listener. How often do the tears of childhood and youth flow as the Savior is seen in mental vision on the cross? The Holy Spirit also brings the vision in all its vividness before the eyes - the lovely, suffering, dying, glorified Jesus.Doddridge, in his life of Colonel Gardiner, describes the conversion of the wicked soldier. He was waiting near midnight, the hour fixed for a sinful meeting with another, and was carelessly turning over the pages of a religious book, when suddenly he saw before him, vivid and clear, the form of the Redeemer on His cross, and heard Him Speak, "All this I have done for you; and is this your return?" Like Paul, he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision - but from that moment followed Christ. That is what every one of us should do; when we see Christ and hear His voice, we should straightway leave all and go after Him.Not only at the beginning - but all the way through life, God sends us visions to guide us. Every time we see in a verse of the Scripture a glimpse of something beautiful commended, it is a heavenly vision given to us to lead us to the beauty it shows. Every fragment of loveliness we see in a human life - is a heavenly vision sent to woo us upward. Wherever we see beauty which attracts us and kindles in us desires and aspirations for higher attainments, it is a vision from God, whose mission is to call us to a higher life. We should not prove disobedient to any heavenly vision - but should follow every one - as sent from heaven to woo us nearer God.It is thus every true artist works. He dreams dreams and sees visions, and then seeks to put on canvas or in marble, his dreams and visions. Every great and noble thing anyone does, is first a vision in his soul, to which he surrenders himself. All of Paul's life, was but a struggle toward the realization of the vision that he saw at Damascus. "One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." He saw ever before him, the vision of the perfect character of Christ, and put forth every energy of his life to realize it in himself. So should we all do.Soon after Paul saw his vision, he began the work of preaching Christ, whose followers he had persecuted. He went to the people of Damascus and Jerusalem and Judea, Jews and Gentiles alike, and "declared … that they should repent and turn to God." Repenting is not merely giving up one's sins; it is also turning to God. The sinner needs to turn to God for mercy and for refuge from the divine wrath against sin. He must also return to God as a prodigal returns to his father and his home. He must turn to God in life, in obedience, in heart, in love, in spirit. A Christian is one who has truly left his sins and is now walking with God, doing God's will and growing into Christ's likeness. Therefore, repentance is not a mere passing emotion of regret. It is not mere sorrow that the sin has been found out. It is really an abandonment of the old life - and the reception of Christ as the Master of the new life, and the turning of heart and soul after Him.But Paul preached that people must also "prove their repentance by their deeds." We have a right to ask every professing Christian to prove that he is a Christian. His mere statement is not sufficient. He must give the evidence in his life; and the evidence that will prove it beyond doubt, will be faithfulness in every day's duties, consistency in every day's conduct, and the moral beauty in all the developments of the character. True religion is very practical. Christian life is nothing at all - if it is only a fine sentiment. It must touch and affect every part of our being. It must work into all the relations, experiences and duties of our common days."I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike." Acts 26:22. When Paul stood before Agrippa, it was twenty-five years after his conversion. They had been years of toilsome life, amid enemies and dangers; but the heroic old apostle had never given up, never faltered, never turned aside. It was a great record - but he takes no praise to himself. The help came from God - for all these years of faithful witnessing.Many Christians fear that they will not be able to stand faithful and true to the end. Here is an encouraging word for all such: They shall obtain help from God for every duty, for every hour of danger, for every struggle. They need only to be faithful day by day, doing the day's duty quietly, and trusting God. This help will come from Him, silently, secretly, just as it is needed, always sufficient grace, so that they shall be able to stand faithful year after year. God never puts a burden on us - without giving us the strength we need to carry it. The way to obtain help of God - is to go faithfully and promptly forward in the way of duty, asking for the help, and sure of getting it. It will not come if we wait to get it before we set out to do His will. "I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6<div class="center-it mtb10">"I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles." Acts 26:23. Paul explained to Agrippa that he had not abandoned his old religion for a new one. Christianity is the ripe fruit of which Judaism was the bud and blossom. Moses and the prophets preached the same gospel that Paul did. The Bible is one book. The same streams of promise and hope flow through all its parts, only that in the Old Testament they flow underground, and in the New they burst out in the sight of all men! Abraham was saved just as we are, only he saw Christ merely by faith, and dimly, a Savior promised ; and we see Him clearly, a Savior who has come and finished His work.</div><div class="center-it mtb10">"At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense: You are out of your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!" Acts 26:24. That is the way earnestness in religion is rewarded by the world. Even Christ own family thought He was crazy - "When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him home with them. 'He's out of His mind!' they said." Mark 3:21</div>Festus said that Paul was insane. But who was the madman that day - Paul, who believed on Christ and was living for eternal realities; or Festus, who sat there and sneered? Who is the madman now - the devout and the fervent Christian, or the worldly scoffer and reviler? There is no insanity like that which disbelieves in the realities of eternity and rejects the glorious gospel of Christ. Men really only come to their right minds - when they awake to their true condition as lost sinners - and return to God their Father.<div class="center-it mtb10">Agrippa seems to have been affected differently. He said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to be a Christian." Acts 26:28. Perhaps we cannot be absolutely sure whether these words were a sneer or whether they were meant to hide conviction. No matter; it was Agrippa's one great opportunity for salvation - and he threw it away! Such opportunity comes to all. Every lost one was at one time on the very edge of salvation. Fear drives some almost to the point of fleeing to Christ. Or, the love of Christ almost wins them. Or, the truth faithfully presented and pressed into their hearts, leads them almost to decision. They reach the door - but do not enter. There is a story of a prodigal who turned homeward and traversed weary miles, until he had his hand on the knocker of his father's door, and then withdrew it, and turned away again, plunging into deeper sin and shame. To be "almost a Christian" is not a safe condition.</div>A woman was lost in the mountains. All night she wandered, seeking the way home. At length she sank down and died as the dawn was breaking. In the morning they found her but a few steps from the door of the hotel, which she had been struggling to reach. Close about heaven's gates, millions of souls perish - almost saved, yet lost! God wants us to be altogether Christians. Almost will not avail. How terrible the thought, forever, to the lost sinner, that he was once almost saved - and yet lost for all eternity!Paul's answer to Agrippa came from the heart. "I would to God … all who hear me … might become such as I am, except for these chains." It is not enough that we are saved ourselves; we must be propagators of the gospel; we must try to save our lost fellows. Paul knew he had something which Agrippa and the others had not.Sometimes Christians forget that they are children of God and heirs of God, that they have eternal life, that heaven is theirs. They go about hanging their heads in the presence of those who are not Christians, almost as if apologizing for being Christians. But even in the presence of a king, the governor, and the other people of rank - Paul was conscious that he was far richer than they were, had a higher rank. He had something they had not, and to possess which, would greatly add to their happiness and honor. If all Christians had this realization of their dignity, honor and noble rank - it would greatly add to their power in impressing Christianity upon the world and in urging others to come with them into the same blessed life.Perhaps Agrippa's answer to Paul's earnest words showed how he was impressed, "This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar." So it looked as if Paul had made a mistake in appealing to Caesar. This made it necessary that he should be sent to Rome. It would have seemed better, that he should at once be released from prison that he might go out to preach. But there was another Hand, not a human hand, that was at work unseen those days amid the complicated movements of things. God's plan was being wrought out in spite of, even in and through, men's enmities and persecutions. God had a mission for Paul in Rome. He was needed to carry the gospel there.Had he been released at this time he would probably have been seized again by the Jews and might have fallen a victim to their rage and hatred, thus ending his work. His appeal made it necessary that the Roman Government should take him to Rome. Thus he was sure of protection and was carried to the world's capital without expense, that he might there preach the gospel! Thus Rome itself became a helper in extending Christ's Kingdom. We shall see, as we read on, what good and blessing came out of this, which seemed that day an unfortunate thing, a hindrance. God's plan for our lives are always good, and we need only submit to them.

A unique type of devotional from the writings of James Russell Miller, published between 1908 and 1913.

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

Acts 26:1-30

Paul Before King Agrippa

Father, I desire that they … whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me. § I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. § He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. § Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country … By faith Moses … [chose] rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. § “The just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. § No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. § Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord has said to you, “You shall not return that way again.” 

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. § Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? § Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me. § God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. § There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. § He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

 Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 

I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. § A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. § Christ … loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.

 Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” § Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? “I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He.” Sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ. The God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. § He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. § Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?§ The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Evening Daily Light

 Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. § [Look] carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. §  You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ  … Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. § The tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell … No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. § Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.

 Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. 

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. § Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. § He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. § Is anything too hard for the Lord? Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

 He is also able to save to the uttermostthose who come to God through Him. 

<blockquote>
That ye may know what is the hope of His calling and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (<a id="verse_1632879451343452" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/1/18">Eph. 1:18</a>).
</blockquote>In order to share effectively with needy believers it is essential to know what the Father has purposed for His own. And this understanding results from personal growth in the Lord Jesus. Those who are merely well-versed may be able to teach, but they cannot truly share; their understanding of the needs of the heart is deficient, and this becomes all too evident to the hearers. Head-knowledge (study) must be integrated with heart-knowledge (experience) in order for there to be Spirit-motivated sharing."The true hope makes all the difference to us in our ministry. Our expectations have been personally proven. It makes possible joy in the midst of sorrow, confidence in the midst of defeat. It changes our attitude toward those to whom we minister. We see them not as they are at the moment but as we know the Lord is going to make them. Then patience and forgiveness are easy, for we already see the Lord's finished work. It changes our prayer for them. We ask not for some little progress or partial blessing for them but for the Lord's complete victory. It changes our teaching ministry to them. Instead of fearfully giving a little more of God's truth, we confidently declare all the counsel of God. There is ever before us the joy of the finished work which we know the Lord is going to accomplish." -A.M."Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (<a id="verse_1632879451965538" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/1/6">Phil. 1:6</a>).

A 365 day devotional that will help you in your Christian growth and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This devotional is a collection of quotes from some of the best authors in the realm of Christian growth that has been organized by Miles J Stanford.  This devotional study is divided into 12 sections each containing 31 daily portions.

None but the Hungry Heart

 Mutual Viewpoint 

<blockquote>
Christ in you, the hope of glory" (<a id="verse_1632880075840856" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/1/27">Col. 1:27</a>).    
</blockquote>Beware! The world, both secular and religious, is seeking to destroy your individuality by conforming you to the mass of faceless ones. But our heritage and destiny in the Lord Jesus Christ is to be conformed to His image - not at the loss of our individual personality, but by the gain of His nature and character. "I in you"; "Christ liveth in me" (<a id="verse_1632880075317579" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/John/15/4">John 15:4</a>; <a id="verse_1632880075919635" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/2/20">Gal. 2:20</a>)."Something has got to be done in us as well as for us. We want to proceed on the line of having things done for us, heaven intervening for us, our difficulties removed for us, having a straight path made for us. Heaven may be ready to come in, the Lord may be prepared to work for us, but it is not sufficient for Him - and it would not prove good enough for us - if that were all. The very principle of spiritual growth and maturity demands that He keep the objective and the subjective balanced; that is, that something is done in us as well as for us." -T. A-S."We are apt to think that if and when the circumstances and conditions of our lives are changed and we are in another position than the one we now occupy, then something will happen, the purpose of God will begin to be fulfilled. But the Lord says, No, it is not circumstances, not conditions, at all; it is you.'""Being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (<a id="verse_1632880075202448" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/1/6">Phil. 1:6</a>).

 Internal Priority 

<blockquote>
He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (<a id="verse_1632877998306912" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/1/6">Phil. 1:6</a>).
</blockquote>When one begins to realize the complexity of simple spiritual growth, he learns to keep his hands off, and his faith on."Regeneration is a birth: the center and root of the personality, the spirit, has been re-created and taken possession of by the Holy Spirit. But time is required for that center to extend through all the circumference of our being. It is akin to a seed: the life of the Lord Jesus within must grow; and it would be against the laws of nature and grace alike if we expected from the babe in Christ the strength that can only be found in the young man, or the rich experience and stability of the fathers. Even where in the new convert there is great singleness of heart and faith, with true love and devotion to the Saviour, time is needed for a deeper knowledge of the old man and sin, for a spiritual insight into what the Father's will and grace are." -A.M."The process of conformity to the Lord Jesus' image is going on day by day in the growing believer's life. It is a progression from obedience to obedience, from dependence to dependence, from righteousness to righteousness, and from love to love. As the maturing one gets a larger vision of his perfect Pattern through the daily study of God's Word, he takes higher ground along the line of that blessed revelation, so that his life is a progressive growing up into the Lord Jesus in all things." -R.P."The more the believer abounds in the riches of the Father's grace, the more unsearchable and inexhaustible he finds them to be. The spiritual man never stops growing, because he is always reaching upward to that still higher height that is just beyond." -R.P."I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632877998819171" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/3/14">Phil. 3:14</a>).

 Life Given And Maintained 

6 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.

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion<cr>1</cr> until the day of Christ Jesus.<cr>2</cr>

Philippians 1:6

 6 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.  

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 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.

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.

 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.  

Bible Verse of the Day

January 3, 2022

Philippians 1:6 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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