Two nights ago as I was going to sleep, a verse came to mind as I was laying there thinking. "For it is God who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose." I hadn't been in Philippians - it had been awhile since I'd spent any time on that one. But it came to mind and brought with it peace as its truth blanketed my soul.
Then Sunday morning it was back - I was thankful that God helped me remember what I had been thinking about the night before in that just-before-sleep, groggy state of mind. And then it showed up again, unbeknownst to me, in my husband's message that day in church. Hmmm, God, are you telling me something here?
Today in the quiet of the morning I was back to the same verse. It's got my attention now. What stood out was that He works in us to "will" and "act" according to his good purposes. Interesting that it doesn't say to "feel" and "agree with" his good purposes. But rather, engage the will in obedience first and let the feelings follow.
God's purpose boils down to loving. Loving Him, loving others. As that marks my life more and more, I become conformed to the image of Jesus. That's expressed in lots of ways - sometimes active doing, other times restraint. But it's a hopeful thing that those of us in His body are the recipients of His steady, faithful work.
As we live out of Truth, the person of Truth Himself, His joy becomes ours and His purposes are accomplished in and through our lives.
Lord, let it be.
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