Philippians 1:6 English Standard Version (ESV) And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

There are lyrics to a song that state; “What have you done for me lately.”

There will always be moments when we might feel the same way about our Lord but those are emotions which are of the flesh and we need to remind ourselves of how far we have come on this walk with Christ. The longer we have been on the walk and the more Christ like we become, the less and less there is that needs to be worked on spiritually. It is after all a spiritual walk. We deal with our flesh daily and He gives us the strength to overcome but the flesh still remains.

This completion spoken of in Philippians is our translation into our incorruptible form. Until then the work in us is step by step and some of that takes longer than we have the patience to endure. That is the flesh complaining that it does not want to give up its hold on our soul.

James 1:2-4 English Standard Version

Testing of Your Faith

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The flesh will test our faith. We should not think that all trials are external being caused by the enemies of Christ. It is true that some trials are external to our souls but the ones that matter the most are the ones produced in us by our flesh. It seems easier to endure others than it does to endure ourselves. We have to live with ourselves and that can be trying.

That does not mean that Christ is finished with us yet. Patience is the fourth fruit of the spirit and faithfulness is the seventh. The last fruit is self-control.

Ephesians 3:20-21 English Standard Version

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Are these verses to be a preamble? While powerful and true, are they a preparatory statement for what follows?

Ephesians 4:1-6 English Standard Version

Unity in the Body of Christ

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Up until this point everything that has happened in us was about change. Being this new creation in Christ was about discovering who we are in Christ. Now seeing that we are just one part of the universal body of Christ, it becomes a matter of unity of faith and working with others. Acknowledging that Christ is in others is necessary for unity of the Spirit.

We need not have faith in others but faith in the One who abides in others. Being over, through and in every member of the body of Christ means much more than just being a church member. Trying to do all that is spoken of in verse 2 is impossible without the preamble from chapter 3. It is God in us that not only allows it to happen, He causes it to happen.

We are just willing cooperative body parts.