God works with what He is given and we must then work with what He gives us.
“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Php 2:13 NIV
God moves us to want “to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” So God will continue to pursue us until we say, “Ok, Lord, I will follow You and Your Holy Will.” Sometimes there is something physical for us to do, and other times, like I mentioned yesterday, God will move us to pray for someone else or some situation. And our loving God will even help us pray too. For the times that He wants us to physically do something, this verse continues to take the pressure off our tiny shoulders. How? Some versions of this verse say: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (my emphasis NLT) This means God not only works in us to want to follow His Holy Will, but then He gives us all the resources in which to follow that Holy Will!
Whatever it is you and I need to fulfill His good purpose, God will supply it for us, when and how we need it. This requires a whole lot of Faith, right? But if we will work with Him, God will give us that too! Think about St Paul and all the times he was put in front of a court. Jesus said Himself, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say” (Mt 10:19) and Paul took this to heart! Whether it is insight into Scripture, whether it is the skill to build a house, whether it is the financial funds required to feed the hungry, whatever it is that God Wills for us to do, He will also give us the ability to do it.
I do hope this verse gives us some relief. All God desires from us is our grateful obedience. Again He will never force us…but He will continue to work in us to want and be able to fulfill His good purpose in our lives.
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
June: 21- Lk 23:42; 22- Jas 4:7; 23- Pr 22:6; 24- Mt 5:3; 25- Jn 14:6
July: 26- Jas 2:19; 27- Dt 31:8; 28- Jn 14:15; 29- Jn 8:11
August: 30- Ro 8:1; 31- Pr 4:23; 32- Pr 18:21; 33- Ps 118:24; 34- 1Jn 4:4
35- Mt 16:24
36- Php 2:13
<>< Peace, Diane
