Am I Working Too?

December 10, 2019

Am I Working Too?

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Philippians 2:13

Am I working too? That is the thought that came to me this morning as I read Paul’s compelling statement in Philippians 2:13. I must say that I have long rejoiced in Paul’s assertion. Whenever I would read of being baptized into the life in Christ (Romans 6) or of my new life of faith in Christ (Galatians 2:19-20), I rejoiced because I knew that I could actually live the life in Christ as my way of life because God is working in me, giving me the desire and the power to do what pleases him. But this morning I was stopped by the Holy Spirit in mid-rejoicing and asked, “Yes, but are you working?”

Holy habits and Godly character begin first when God works in me, but it is my responsibility to work out that which God has worked in me. Paul’s assertion is that God is giving me the desire and the power, but I am the one who has to respond to that Godly desire and exercise that Godly power. And there is the rub the Holy Spirit is bringing to my attention. I am fully trusting God for my righteousness, and I am fully trusting that God is working in me; I’m not so fully engaged when it comes to my part in God’s work to form Christ within me.

The Holy Spirit is pointing me to the line Paul wrote just before Philippians 2:13: “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b KJV). The world around me is dying for lack of hope. God’s mission for me is to model Godly hope as Christ becomes visible in my mortal flesh. To this end, Paul’s counsel to Timothy is quite compelling to me:

 “. . . set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you. Put these things into practice; devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Timothy 4:11-16).

I have a lot to think about, and to do!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2019 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.