God isn't finished with us yet

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
Romans 8:29-30

What's God up to here? Is this about being able to forsee how our lives turn out? Or is it about God's consistent intentions for our lives? This is less about whether we've been chosen, and more about God who is designing, shaping, restoring, calling, reconciling, establishing, staying and completing the creation that is happening in us.

One temptation I face as I read this is to sit back and enjoy the show. God's the active one. But as I look at the life of Jesus I see a model of engagement in the designs of God. Jesus' continuing obedience was in response to God who called and sustained him.

The good news for me here is that God is still completing me. Like the poster I had on my wall through my teenage years, "Please be patient. God isn't finished with me yet".

So if I apply that to the community in which I live, I discover a sense of patience, recognising that God's dreams for this place are still being brought into being. "Be patient. God isn't finished with this community yet."