Working Out What God Has Worked In
“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)
God desires us to reach our full potential. He designed you and began a good work in you when you received Christ. The challenge is to work out what God has worked in! The Bible says, “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT) This does not mean we work for our salvation, but that we work to show the results of our salvation. How? Through obedience and deep reverence and respect for God. The verb “work hard” or “work out” carries the meaning of working to full completion, as in working out a math problem. In the language of the New Testament, it was also used for mining, so that you could get out of the mine all the valuable ore possible or working a field to harvest the most crops possible. God’s desire is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son; that we would begin to live and act like Christ. As the very life of Christ is formed within us, the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts and minds enabling us to work out what He is working in that we may reach our full God-given potential in Christ!
For God to accomplish His greater work through us, He must do a deeper work in us. Working out what God has worked in isn’t the result of strenuous effort or striving alone. Paul tells us, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT) I love the way the Amplified Bible translates this passage: “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”
Aren’t you glad it’s not a matter of will power but God’s power? And not only does God give us the power to do what pleases Him, but He also gives us the desire to do it. Left alone, our desires are self-serving and often sinful. And when they are good, we feel powerless to carry them out. But through the Holy Spirit, God is working in us. The word there for “working” can also be understood as “energy.” We get our English word “energy” from this Greek word for “working.” That means you have Divine energy to accomplish everything God has designed you to do! He energizes you by the Holy Spirit! The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives within you and me and is at work within us to give us new desires and power to do what pleases God! This is the secret to a changed life! Submit to His work in you and let Him do the work. You’ll find that as you obey God’s will, you gain an even greater desire to do it!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.