«May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it». 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24, NM
ONE DAY, the famous psychologist and exponent of behaviorism B. F. Skinner met British dramatist George Bernard Shaw. After a warm greeting, Skinner told Shaw, «Your book inspired my career. It convinced me once and for all of the profound truth behind behaviorism.» Shaw thought he was kidding and told him, «l thought my book destroyed the argument of behaviorism once and for all!»
The problem was that Skinner had not finished reading the book. In the early chapters Shaw had built a case in favor of behaviorism, but in the last chapter Shaw tore down everything he had said in the previous chapters. An incomplete reading gave Skinner the wrong perspective.*
We have come to the end of a year. We have finished many chapters, many episodes have concluded, but we have still not finished reading the remaining chapters of our lives. What we have seen so far is an incomplete version.
Right now, you might have an erroneous, limited vision of yourself and your future, but you can’t stand still; you must keep moving forward until you reach the last chapter and see how God has kept this promise in you: «May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it» (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24, NIV).
After deeply analyzing your life you might have realized you are still not holy; you are not beyond reproach; your spirit, soul, and body prefer paths that draw them away from God’s will. However, if you keep on reading, if you move forward in faith, you will see that the last chapter of your life will prove God is faithful. He will fulfill what He has promised, and you will be standing at «the coming of our Lord.»
You and I are not faithful, but God is, and He will keep His promise. You will see it when you get to the end of the «book.»