Lyrics
Grace And Peace
Read together: Philippians 1:1–11; Philippians 2:12–13; Galatians 5:22–23
Has anyone ever told you that they thank God every time they remember you? That they pray for you with joy? For many people, those words are rare. Yet that is exactly how this song speaks to the listener, because nearly every line is drawn from the opening of Paul's letter to the Philippians.
Read Philippians 1:1–11. Paul was writing from chains, yet his letter begins not with complaint but with blessing: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Grace is God's undeserved favor; peace is the wholeness that comes from being reconciled to Him. Paul speaks both over the church, and the song speaks them to the greatest and to the very least. No one is too important to need grace, and no one is too small to receive it.
Paul then says, "I thank my God every time I remember you," and that he always prays with joy because of their partnership in the gospel. Christian friendship is not merely shared interests. It is shared mission. The song calls it fellowship divine.
Then comes the heart of the song—and one of the most comforting promises in the New Testament. Read Philippians 1:6. "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." The song sings it this way: He's been in you from the very first day and all along the way.
Think about what that means. If you belong to Jesus, your spiritual life did not begin with your effort, and it will not be completed by your effort alone. God started it. God is continuing it. God will finish it. That does not make us passive—Paul later tells believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose" (Philippians 2:12–13). We work because He is working. But the final outcome rests on His faithfulness.
That is good news for anyone who feels unfinished. Maybe you look at your life and see slow progress, repeated failures, or old habits that still cling. God is not done. The good work He began, He will complete.
The bridge and final verse turn to Paul's prayer. He prays that their love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so they can discern what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, "filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:9–11). Notice where the righteousness comes from: through Jesus Christ. The song's tag says it plainly: all righteousness is by Jesus Christ, and in Him alone.
Galatians 5:22–23 describes that fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not achievements we manufacture. They are evidence of the Spirit at work.
If you have not yet trusted Christ, this good work has not begun in you. But it can. The same God who speaks grace and peace in this song offers them to you through Jesus. Turn to Him, and He will begin a work He promises to finish.
A moment to respond: Read Philippians 1:9–11 and pray it for someone specific, using their name. Then send them a short message: "I thank God when I remember you." Before the day ends, thank God that the good work He began in you is not finished yet.
Let's pray: God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, grant grace and peace to everyone who hears this song. Thank You for the good work You have begun in us, and for Your promise to complete it. Let our love abound more and more in knowledge and insight. Fill us with the fruit of righteousness that comes only through Jesus, to Your glory and praise. Amen.
Our desire at UnrelentingJesus is that grace and peace would rest on you today—and that you would trust the God who never leaves His good work unfinished.
