How would you like God to be your mentor, your counselor, your coach?The Bible proclaims this wonderful truth.God is at work in you.If you are a Christian today, if Jesus Christ is your Savior, then you can be assured from the Word of God that He is working in your life.In Philippians 2.12-13 (NKJV), you read these words, ".Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.".Strange words! How can you have it both ways? How can you work out your salvation when this passage clearly says that it is God who is working it all out?The only solution is that both of these things are true.God is working in you, and you see that happening when you work out your life each moment of each day.The fruit of His working in you is that He gives you grace and strength to obey Him and work out the details of your life each day.You are saved by His grace and you live each day by His grace.This verse is definitely not saying that we save ourselves.It is saying that salvation doesn't stop with your conversion, it is worked out in the remainder of your life.To me, that is very encouraging because it shows me that I am not alone in this world.God didn't just come and save me, and then leave everything else up to me for the rest of my earthly life.He is there, working in me according to His perfect will all the time.That gives me hope.Of course, I still have to get up in the morning.I still have to get dressed.I have to take out the trash and do the dishes.It's not that I just coast through life and then go home to be with the Lord.I am with the Lord right now, from the first day that He gave me new life in Christ.He never leaves me.Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that it is the Holy Spirit who carries on this work in us.It is when we abide in Jesus Christ that we receive the strength, wisdom and power to meet each challenge and to persevere.(John 15.1-8, NKJV).His Glory, Not Mine.In addition to giving me hope for each day, this passage also helps me magnify His holy name.It lets me give Him the glory, and not take it for myself.Even when I do some good thing, or overcome some sinfulness in my heart, I can take no credit for it.It was God the Holy Spirit who did it in me.What a wonderful comfort and encouragement.This also helps me fight off my tendency to have sinful pride.It keeps be from being lulled into the lie that I can handle life all by myself.No, I am totally and completely dependent on Him for every breath.Romans 8.26 confirms this truth when it says, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.".That passage goes on to show how the Holy Spirit helps us to know how to pray.The Spirit knows the mind of the Father and the mind of Christ, so He directs us to pray as we should.That too is quite an encouragement because you can often struggle in prayer, not knowing exactly what to say or ask.Still, the Holy Spirit is interceding for you, with requests that are too deep for human words to express.Please let these ideas encourage you today.You are not alone if you are in Christ.He is there, right now, and He will help.Simply ask Him.To paraphrase Matthew 7.7, if you keep on asking, you will receive.If you keep on seeking, you will find.Rejoice in the Lord!
0 comments:
Post a Comment