Who's doing what here?

Let's take a little inventory today. If I were to ask the question, "What is the one thing you hoped to accomplish yesterday, but didn't", what would your answer be? For a few of us it likely would be some household tasks like cleaning the bathrooms, doing the laundry, or getting the crumbs out of the silverware drawer. Others will say it was something like motor rebuild on the motorcycle that has been in pieces in the backyard for weeks, or the sorting of all those clothes in their closets that they haven't worn since the last time they were actually that size! We all have things that don't quite get accomplished as we would like to see them accomplished, right? There is one thing we don't want to put off in our lives and that is what God wants to see worked out in us. We might try to skirt that, as well, but the longer we skirt his working, the longer he will be working!

He is working in you. God is helping you obey Him. God is doing what He wants done in you. (Philippians 2:13)

Obedience is not our favorite topic to discuss, perhaps because it is so doggone hard for us to actually live obedient lives most of the time. We all want to live in 'safety', but we do things that are counteracting our safety in life, don't we? We know the speed limit, but do we always obey it? Not likely. We know face masks help to reduce the spread of disease, but do we always like how confining they are? Not likely. We all know the top rung on the ladder clearly states it is not a step, but how many times have you stood upon it? Perhaps a few! We do things all the time that are contrary to our safety, but we 'survive' pretty much unscathed, so we'd consider doing it again if we had to. Why? Obedience isn't always easy and we tend to push the limits when things get harder than we'd like.

The good news is that we aren't expected to be obedient all by our own power. God is at working doing within us what he wants done. Did you catch that? It is God in us that is actually going to bring us closer and closer to obedience. God is helping us obey him - not out of duty or obligation, but because we have a desire to do so born within us and nurtured by his presence within us. Don't lose hope, my friends, because of your struggles to always see the right stuff accomplished in and through your lives. It is being worked out in you, so it can be worked out through you. God is at working doing exactly what he wants done - even when we don't think we are doing a very good job at living life right now. 

God isn't put off by our disobedience and he isn't 'thrown out' of our lives each time we take a step that is contrary to what we know is right and true. In fact, I believe he re-doubles his efforts to see us step into obedience in those area where he is working in us. Just sayin!