JULY 25

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES FOR GOD:

ELOHE TSADEKI—GOD OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS

ELOHE YAKOB—GOD OF JACOB

ELOHEI MAROM—GOD ON HIGH

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This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

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Philippians 2:12-13

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, 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.”

HE DOES IT BY HIS HOLY SPIRIT

Third, GOD WORKS INSIDE US THROUGH HIS SPIRIT.  2 Thessalonians 2:13 says, “….God chose you….to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,”   The inner working of the Holy Spirit is what develops us step-by-step into carbon copies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:18 goes further to say we are “being transformed into His image” from one stage to another by that inner working of the Spirit of God.

Fourth, GOD WORKS INSIDE US BY HIS WORD. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul praised his readers for understanding the power of Scripture.  “When you  received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”

The other morning I awoke frustrated at myself.  I was battling fatigue and wasn’t keeping up with my disciplines as I should.  WHAT IS WRONG?! I wondered.  AM I DEPRESSED, AM I OLD, WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?

I was using the New Living Translation in My Bible reading that morning when I came to Psalm 29.  Among other things, this psalm describes God’s voice.  “the voice of the Lord echoes above the sea” (vs 3).  “the voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.  The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars” (vs 4-5).  “the voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning” (vs 7).  “The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks” (vs 9).  Then the psalm ends with these words:  “The Lord gives His people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace” (Vs 11).

I prayed, “Lord, may Your voice echo through the canyons of my heart.  May Your voice bounce from one side of my mind to the other.  May Your voice echo throughout my life.  May Your voice echo through my preaching and teaching and writing.  May Your voice echo in the hearts of my children and grandchildren.”

God accomplishes His work through the power of His voice, His Word.  When we study His word, His voice reverberates from one side of our soul to the other.  Maybe we need to pray those same words today.  The same voice that spoke the worlds into existence, that said, “Let there be light.” That shouted, “it is finished,” and the same voice that will shout the summons of resurrection at His return —–THAT VOICE echoes throughout our lives and throughout our lifetimes, working in us what He desires.  He gives His people strength and blesses them with peace.

That’s why we’re devoted to being Bible students —daily readers of Scripture!!

Fifth.  GOD WORKS INSIDE US AS WE ASK HIM TO DO SO. It helps if we make it a daily practice to specifically ask God to continue His work within us.  As a pastor, I enjoy praying the benediction over my congregation at the end of each service.  Hebrews 13:20-21 was one of my favorite passages to use:

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.”  May God equip every one of us to work His will.”

Sixth:  GOD WORKS INSIDE US FOR HIS GLORY.  Why does God do all this?  In Ephesians 3:20-21 Paul reminded the believers of God’s purpose for working in us:  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or think, according to His power that works within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever,  amen.”

God wants to be glorified by His work within us, but He doesn’t force it on us.  Instead, He works inside us, giving us the desire and ability to fulfill His purpose.  That bring us back to our primary text in Philippians 2:  “therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (VS 12-13).

Sometimes we want to do something but don’t have the ability.  Other times, we have the ability but not the desire.  God works within us to give us both the desire and the ability to live for Him.

Here is a perfect prayer to pray when one or the other is missing in our life: 

“Lord, give me the desire and ability to serve You for Your glory.”

WORK OUT WHAT GOD IS WORKING IN

This, then, is the exciting life of the believer.  Have you considered how personally this affects you?  It’s staggering.  Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, personally works within us!  He works within us from the day we respond to His gospel:  He works within us with all the energy of Christ:  by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit:  by the potency of His voice; in answer to prayer and for His glory:  and He works within us to give us both the desire and the ability to do His good will,.

But the command here is for us to WORK OUT WHAT GOD IS WORKING IN US.  That’s the outward life of faith and obedience. 

Charles Spurgeon said:

“We work out, bring out, educe from within ourselves to our exterior life, that which God constantly works in us in the interior secret recesses of our spiritual being …..You profess that the Holy Ghost dwells in you, and He does so if you are a true Christian; well then, let your whole conduct be saturated with the sacred influence …..this is the matter to be attended to then, the bringing out, the working out, and developing the goldmine of grace which God has wrought in us.”

Lord, work on me, work in me, work through me, and work in spite of me today.

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