- Divine Partner
For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. – Philippians 2:13
Today’s verse and the one preceding it speak of a partnership with Almighty God. How wonderful that the Lord does not leave you to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” on your own! Believers are to live for God, loving Him and others in practical ways. However, your Maker is also at work in you, transforming you in ways that delight Him.
Imagine artists working with their mediums, whether it be oils, watercolors, pastels, or acrylics. They may feel a deep connection with their subject and the way they express it in their art. Most artists enjoy the entire process of creating, which gives them a deep sense of satisfaction. Imagine God deriving such pleasure as He works His will in you. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Earlier in the passage, Paul exhorts his readers to treat each other with kindness, even considering others as more important than themselves. Living unselfishly offers others support and lets them know they are not alone, especially in today’s busy society. Consider the relief you experience when someone offers you help when you feel overwhelmed. Carpenters from Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite communities showed up in North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene was so devastating, providing just such an example. As they do when conducting a barn raising, they have worked together to rebuild homes, build tiny homes, repair or build bridges, donating their labor and materials to those who lost so much.
How much can the Church accomplish when believers work together to care for each other’s needs? Ask the Lord to lead you in working for His pleasure and trust Him to give you the strength to do it. Pray for American believers to show Jesus’ love through how they treat one another and their neighbors.
Today’s Verse: Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
