GOD WORKS IN US TO GROW

June 12, 2006, I chose to write on Phil. 2:13, "God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey Him."  Paul, once again is writing to the church he loved in Philippi, and says exactly what he believes.... God is working in them. And He says it to us through the established Bible. Therefore, we are asked to believe what He says, just as those in Philippi.


"And I believe what He says.  Yet, I wonder, sometimes, when I look at my own life and the lives of others, 'How do we know that God is at work in me today?' I see changes in others, sometimes, but they are not absolutely changed. How may times do I see myself spaced out by TV, a book, or a game of some kind on the internet, or.... Facebook?  And not making myself available to God?  I'm sure God does some work in those who love Him in spite of their busyness, but every moment not devoted to God takes away opportunity for God to teach.


"I think of those who say, 'I'm not getting fed spiritually.' Do they ask themselves, 'What then, am I 'eating'? Are they in prayer daily?  Do they read God's word daily? Do they look for God in their everyday activities?  Do they inventory their lives to see if they are sinning? Forgiving? Whining? Are they supporting God's work?  And, by the way, where do I fit into all of this? What about me?


"God, How do I become in charge of my own faith, to work out my own salvation?  How do I guarantee in myself and others that belonging to our church is the celebration of the faith-growth God brings us in relationship to how often we make ourselves accessible to You?  Help!  Amen."


I must admit, I am not so uptight about a guarantee from God anymore.  I assume that because I love God, He also loves me, and I will be told, by Him in some way, what I need to do to be more like Him, and what I do not need. I also know that He accepts me as I am, but He loves, also, my attempts to become more like Him. But, I will never be perfect.  I am who I am. And God accepts me as I am.


And He accepts you, as you are.  And so do I.
Jo INMN