What He Begins, He Completes

Have you ever waited anxiously for a letter from someone you loved?

When I was in college, my husband and I wrote letters to one another. This was long before texting, emails, and instant messages. There was no way to check your phone every few minutes or send a quick emoji. If you wanted to communicate, you wrote a letter, put a stamp on it, and waited.

And wait we did.

Every day, we watched the mailbox with anticipation, hoping to find an envelope with the familiar handwriting of the one we loved.

Recently, I opened the drawer of my bedside dresser and pulled out a bundle of those old letters. Some of the envelopes are postmarked 1969 and 1970. The paper has yellowed. The edges are worn. Time has left its mark on them.

But as I held them in my hands, the memories came rushing back.

More than fifty-five years later, I still treasure those letters because they tell the story of a relationship that was growing, even when miles separated us.

As I reread them, I found myself thinking about another collection of treasured letters—the Epistles of the New Testament.

Much of the New Testament consists of letters written to real people facing real struggles. They were written to encourage weary believers, correct wandering churches, answer difficult questions, and strengthen followers of Christ living in challenging times.

Unlike my husband’s letters, however, these letters were inspired by God Himself and preserved for generations of believers who would one day need their message.

Up to this point in our study, we have focused primarily on God’s faithfulness as revealed throughout the Old Testament. We have watched Him keep His promises to Abraham, guide Moses through the wilderness, sustain David through trials, and remain faithful to His people again and again.

But as we turn the page to the Epistles, we begin to see God’s faithfulness from another angle.

There are twenty-one Epistles in the New Testament, beginning with Romans and ending with Jude. The Apostle Paul wrote thirteen of them—fourteen if one accepts the traditional view that he also wrote Hebrews. These letters were sent to churches and individuals wrestling with persecution, suffering, confusion, temptation, and the everyday challenges of following Christ.

Sound familiar?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

As we read these letters, we discover that the God who faithfully led His people through the Red Sea, provided manna in the wilderness, and established David’s throne is the very same God who faithfully sustains His people today.

The Epistles remind us that God’s faithfulness is not only seen in the dramatic events of biblical history. It is also displayed in the ordinary moments of daily life—strengthening weary hearts, extending grace to struggling believers, keeping every promise He has made, and completing the work He began in us.

Near the close of his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives us one of the most comforting reminders in all of Scripture:

“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:24

What a promise!

The God who calls us is not unreliable. He is not inconsistent. He does not abandon His work when life becomes difficult. He does not forget His promises. He never starts something He intends to leave unfinished.

What He begins, He completes.

What He promises, He accomplishes.

As we journey through the Epistles together, may we read them as more than ancient documents tucked away in the pages of history. They are God’s inspired letters to His people—letters that continue to speak to our hearts today.

And woven through every page is the same beautiful truth we have seen throughout Scripture:

God is faithful.

Faithful to save.

Faithful to sustain.

Faithful to strengthen.

Faithful to keep His promises.

And faithful to complete the good work He has begun in each of us.