Finish What You Started | 2 Corinthians 8:11
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, Elder Sarita Bernadette. Long before podcasting existed, a promise was spoken. That one day, Sarita's voice would bring comfort, clarity, and understanding through the word of God. Years later, when God opened the door, Sarita took the next step in faith.
Introduction:What began as a leap of faith has become a weekly invitation to walk more closely with God, discover the joy found in his word, and receive fresh revelation for every step of the journey. Whether you're walking through the valleys or standing on the mountaintops, Sarita's heartfelt messages will guide you back to God's promises with wisdom, warmth, and the gentle reminder that he cares deeply for you. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. Over the past few weeks, we have been focused on God's guidance. The last episode took us through a series of questions one might ask when trying to determine whether or not that divine or holy nudge is something you should act on.
Sarita Bernadette:We presented the questions along with scriptural support. And as that episode progressed, I sensed another nudge to deal with our topic today, finishing. Finishing. It takes a special grace to complete something God has nudged us to start. Starting is one thing, finishing is yet another.
Sarita Bernadette:The concept of the finisher's anointing in Christian teaching refers to divine grace and strength to complete an assignment or a project or a spiritual race. Have you ever been called to do something and you got it started but you found yourself struggling to complete it? Has that ever happened to you? Perhaps you ran out of energy or enthusiasm or even courage. In the New Testament, Phillips one...
Sarita Bernadette:Philippians rather, Philippians one and six, we read, I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. That same verse from the voice translation reads, I am confident that the creator who has begun such a great work among you will not stop in mid design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the anointed, our liberating king, returns to redeem the world. Here, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Philippi from prison. The verse focuses on God's faithfulness and sanctification and the sanctification of believers. He reminds us that God starts our spiritual transformation, and he finishes it.
Sarita Bernadette:The voice translation says, he will not stop in mid design. I'm so grateful for that. We are works in progress, beloved. Philippians one and six also gives us hope. Hope that when things get tough, we don't have to worry because we know we are backed by God.
Sarita Bernadette:It's his power that sustains us and brings us through. His work in us will continue until Christ returns. So God is a finisher, and we are created in his image. Right? We reflect his character.
Sarita Bernadette:No, we don't possess the same infinite power, but we are creators and thinkers and designers. God endows us with gifts to be used for his glory. In the fourth chapter of Zechariah, we find the account of one of the Hebrew prophet Zechariah's night visions. He had eight of them in a single night. Yes, eight.
Sarita Bernadette:These eight night visions were so very detailed. You may know that God is into details and so am I. I invite you to read through the night vision shown to Zechariah. I believe you'll find inspiration and support in the symbolism found there. You can find them in Zechariah one and seven through Zechariah six verse eight.
Sarita Bernadette:Each one of these night visions had its own specific message about the task ahead and the divine plan behind it. However, the general theme was encouragement for the people and assurance that the Lord would protect them. The night visions concerned Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, laying and finishing the foundation of the second temple in Jerusalem after returning along with the Jewish people from Babylonian exile. Political opposition from local adversaries and neighboring groups brought construction to a halt for rough... Roughly sixteen, almost seventeen years.
Sarita Bernadette:God sent inspiration through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to resume the work, and the temple was finally completed. This fourth chapter is the fifth of the eight visions. So an angel woke Zachariah up and showed him a gold lampstand with a bowl on top and seven lamps representing God's presence in the temple. Beside it were living olive trees, one on the right and one on the left, which continuously piped oil directly into those lamps. The bowl had an abundant supply of oil, symbolizing the fullness of God's power through His Spirit.
Sarita Bernadette:In the Bible, anointing with oil set those God had chosen apart for special tasks, right? The act of anointing them with oil empowered them to do whatever God had called them to do. Beloved, God's oil never runs out. In Psalm twenty three and five, David said, You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. With the finisher's anointing, we can complete the task we've started.
Sarita Bernadette:Zechariah four, six through seven reads, he said to me, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. What are you, oh, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain, and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of grace, grace to it. God reminded Zerubbabel that the temple would not be finished through military muscle or political strength or financial wealth or even personal resolve.
Sarita Bernadette:It would be finished through the supernatural intervention and power of the Holy Spirit. Beloved, that verse reminds us that human capabilities are often insufficient for accomplishing God's purposes. When we face huge mountains of difficulty, we are to depend on the Lord for the strength to come out victorious. If we rely on our own power, we will be disappointed. When God calls us to do something, it may not be easy, but God gives us the grace we need to get it done.
Sarita Bernadette:Listen to verse seven again. This is Zechariah verse four... Chapter four verse seven. What are you, oh, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of grace, grace to it.
Sarita Bernadette:Grace, grace to it. My lord, God speaks directly to the mountain, challenging its authority. He declares, it will become a plane. In other words, you are no match for me. I'm here to level you.
Sarita Bernadette:Zerubbabel had started the foundation with his own hands, and God promised that he would finish the assignment by bringing in the final top stone. With the words grace, grace to it, describing the crowd shouts, God reinforced the understanding that the temple's completion would be a work of his grace and divine empowerment. Zechariah four and nine, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
Sarita Bernadette:Again, Zerubbabel started the work and he was being assured, reassured that he would see it through to completion. And this feat would serve as proof that the prophet Zechariah was indeed sent by the Lord to share the message. Back to the New Testament, Hebrews twelve and two. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. That scripture reminds us about notable believers who were given tasks before us.
Sarita Bernadette:They went on to accomplish great things in the name of the Lord, and they had to put aside their human limitations. They had to overcome past sins and physical challenges. They understood their assignments to the extent that God would reveal them, and they pressed on. Beloved, set aside all that would hold you back, your past, your mistakes, your shortcomings, and move with a spirit of determination. Fix your eyes on the Savior, Christ the Lord, who is the one who started the faith and makes it right.
Sarita Bernadette:He did all that He did because He knew there would be joy on the other side of the cross. Joy for Him at the right hand of the Father advocating on our behalf and joy for us in His presence. Second Corinthians eight and eleven. Now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. In this verse, Paul called on the church at Corinth to finish what they'd started the year before.
Sarita Bernadette:He challenged the congregation to move past the enthusiasm they had in the beginning and make good on their commitments. He also reminded them to use what they had available to finish the job, to finish the charity work they had begun. Beloved, that tells me something reassuring. God will always provide what we need to do the work He's called us to do. We need only say yes and look around us.
Sarita Bernadette:It's probably already there. Revelation twenty two and thirteen. I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. God is the first and the last. He is the creator and the author of everything, and he has the final say.
Sarita Bernadette:I pray that God's precious anointing will cause you to revisit that abandoned goal. Beloved, I pray that procrastination lifts and you're able to go back to that incomplete assignment. I pray that you are able to move it from pending to done. This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me.
Sarita Bernadette:Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
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