Philippians 2:13 …for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
When we became Christians we were indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Because of that, we will never be alone. God is with us always and will never leave us or forsake us. We are new creations and we have a new Spirit that enables us, inspires us, comforts us, and guides us.
Paul said it is God who works IN you to will and to act. But what does that mean exactly? The “will” portion of the verse is our desire. God works in us to give us a desire to do good, to do right, to follow Him. Or to put it another way, God creates the desire within us and then provides the motivation to do what is right and pleasing to Him. In addition to the will or desire, He also gives us strength, ability, and opportunity to carry out those desires and actions – or works. Works do not save us, but they do demonstrate our faith in action. Without faith we would have no works, which are the natural responses to the desire within us to do good for Him.
And all of this is done for His purpose, not for our own. We do not desire and work for self serving purposes or to make ourselves look like the perfect Christian. We do everything with His purpose in mind – to please Him, to glorify Him, and to praise His Name. As believers we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. He gives us the longing (the “want to”) and the capacity (the “ability to”) to live a life that pleases Him.
What can you do today to glorify God’s Name and bring Him praise? Think outside the box and see what you can come up with that taps into your longing to serve as well as your capacity to obey. And trust the Holy Spirit’s guiding hand through it all. Everything we do is done for His purpose and we must remember that as we seek new ways to be obedient to His calling in our lives.
Prayer: Lord, Fill me with the desire to serve You and empower me with the skills I need to be able to step out in obedience and do what You will find pleasing. Amen
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