God Works In Us The Will To Do…

Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

I know and understand mankind enough to know this, as mankind we believe there is not much we can’t do if we just set our hearts and minds to its conclusion. However, we must understand the works of God, for spiritual things can only be accomplished by God. Fleshly speaking there is a lot we can do if we set our minds to it, but it is only by the power of God that we can work spiritual satisfaction to God. First, let’s look at salvation. Only God can cause a lost sinner to repent and seek salvation, and to receive it. No one has the ability to turn from their old nature to a new one if God has no given them a new one to start with. God uses the examples of an Ethiopian changing their skin color of a leopard changing their spots. Neither can change what they are no more than man can change what they are, depraved, lost sinners. Second, let’s look at church membership. Church membership is brought about by God also. People don’t just join a church, God has chosen the fold before the foundation of the world, and He has elected His church before the foundation of the world. God in comparing the church to a human body says in 1 Corinthians 12:18 “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” He said “every member” meaning that if you are a true church members that God has set you in the church, and in the position He wants you to serve in that church. God chooses the Pastors, missionaries, and all other workers as He is pleased to send them. Just as He sent the prophet Jeramiah. The main problem with so many today is they either fail to understand these truths, or they are ignoring this. Let us look at what John said in John 3:27 “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.” Some have said we should add “of his own will” when speaking of man, which does the original text no harm at all. Because spiritually speaking the closer a believes is to this thought, the closer they are to God, and trusting God in everything. God is always telling us to look to Him for our life resources. James wrote in James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Whatever you need ask of God, stop trying to do-it-yourself. You are not washing your car, or changing your oil. You are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are attending to the King’s work. When working for the King it is best done if he is doing it through you. Let us look at what Amos said in Amos 7:15 “And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.” Amos did not just choose to do this work, God sent Him and like so many others, he obeyed and did as the Lord said. We must be patient and wait on the Lord, He knows what is best and what need to be done. The “preacher” Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:8 a very profound truth, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Let us remember that waiting on the Lord to act in us is better than just acting. I remember waiting more than 20 years in the ministry before the Lord gave me my first and only church, and it was worth the wait! If you have a need, your church has a need, or if you are searching for a work, or searching for workers, always remember God sets people in place as He chooses, be patient. We will end with these words, “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron…So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.” Hebrews 5:4-5 DO NOT ATTEMPT IT, IF GOD HAS NOT CALLED YOU TO IT. Amen!