The Finished Product

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     There was a very popular hobby years ago called, “Paint by Number.” A beautiful picture was broken down to a number of shapes with outlines and a number placed inside of the shape. That number would correspond to a little vial of paint. All you had to do was to fill each shape with the paint that matched the number and you would end up with a picture. Everyone could come up with a masterpiece that someone had set to the numbering system. I did a number of these of various sizes. My parents let me put them up in my room. When you first look at the picture, all you see is a bunch of shapes with numbers in them. There is no picture unless you look real hard at it. You have to trust the designer that made the picture so that the finished work would resemble the picture that was on the box. Many of us wonder what the “finished product” is going to look like when we think of our own lives. How will our we turn out? How will our children turn out? Philippians 1:6 says, “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:” In this verse, the Apostle Paul reminds us that God is doing a work in the life of the believer. When we think of this verse, we often think of paintings and tapestries or other works of art that take a long time to complete. Only the master designer knows what the finished product is going to be. Such is the case also in our lives. For some, they get to the end of life and they think, “I wish I had done this years ago.” God knew that and He still had His plan for your life. I have heard some say, “If I had known that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my body.” Again, we don't know the finished product. Only God knows that. The above verse of Scripture does give us the greatest of hopes. God will finish His work. It won't be like the stack of “pain by number” pictures that are only half finished and then thrown in the trash. God always finishes that which He starts. All of us are examples of works that have been started and so we can rest assured that God will finish the job. So, you might be discouraged today or wishing something had been different over the years, or you might wish you had been a great author or performer or whatever. God, however, placed you in your present place and His work will be accomplished when He says it is so. Praise God today that God always finishes what He starts. Your painting will be unique when it is completed.  God is not finished with us yet and we are still under construction.