The Contented Life Daily DevotionalSample

God Is Working In You

Martin Luther King Jr. is known as a man with a strong desire to bring about racial reform, but he did not just have the desire; he acted. He once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

It is not enough to just "will" something, for our thoughts and intentions are not always carried out. Our volition must be energized by God Himself. Paul wrote Philippians 2:13 from a Roman prison, where the conditions must have been miserable. Yet, Paul knew that above it all, God Himself was energizing him to choose and work at what gave God the most pleasure. Paul understood that the place of true contentment was to trust in God's love to have the right desires and then act upon these desires. It was about pleasing God and not himself.

God will energize both your desires and your actions. It is important to remember that God will never require you to do anything that you cannot do. Whatever desire He puts in your heart to do, you can count on His always giving you the power and strength to carry it out. What a great promise!

The first step is to be aware of your inadequacy and the selfish desire only to please yourself. The second is to lay these down before the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to replace those selfish attitudes with loving motives and actions. God assures in scripture that He will produce in you both the desire and the ability to treat others in ways that bring God pleasure.

On your own willpower, you will find that obedience is next to impossible, but by God's power working in you, you will find you have the desire and the power to obey Him.

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By: David Koop