... it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians2:13
Life can be tough.
Sometimes the problems of the world and my circumstances can be overwhelming, especially if I am tired, depleted and exhausted or when I am sin-broken, failure-discouraged or wisdom-insufficient.
The good news is that I don't have to tackle my problems by myself. When the rubber hits the road I am not alone - I don't have to manage by myself.
Paul reminds us that God, by His Spirit, is at work in us.
According to Paul, God works in us in the areas of will and action.
I tabulated how this might happen:
Will: He will Motivate, Inspire, Provoke, and Prompt
Act: He will Energise, Empower, Enable, and help me Endure.
I think of David and Goliath.
The truth, if you think about it, is that Goliath was going to a gunfight with a knife. Even today Israeli and Palestinian shepherd boys can hit tin cans with slings from 20-30 metres away. Goliath couldn't throw a heavy spear that hard or with such accuracy.
But David should have been overawed by King Saul, his brothers, and the rest of the army - not to mention the giant and the Philistine army. He shouldn't even have wanted to go into this battle. But God helped him to WILL - to be motivated and focussed...
When David approachs the battle line, Goliath knows he's in trouble. He tries trash-talking David and his God to rattle David. But David cuts it short - He _runs_ to the battle line and throws his stone. God helped him to ACT.
Today the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you and me. May He help us to WILL and ACT to His _good_ purpose!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
