Verse by Verse Devotional on Philippians by Pastor Jack #94

The Willing and the Working

2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Paul describes God’s work in us as two-fold: He works in us to will obedience and to work obedience. That is, God works in our hearts to give us 1) the will (the desire) to obey, and 2) the power (the strength) to obey. Both of these are necessary, and both come from God.

We all know that it is very possible to want to obey God and still have trouble actually doing it. The fact is that we need more than willingness. We also need power. Paul described his own experience in this way in Romans 7:18-19, "the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want."

Jesus recognized that Peter possessed the willingness to do right but lacked the power: "The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." (Matt.26:41)

The Westminster Confession of Faith also recognizes this reality: "Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ. And that they may be enabled thereunto, beside the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit, to work in them to will, and to do, of His good pleasure."

Wanting to please the Lord is not enough. And we should not be satisfied when our heart desires to obey God. We need to look to God for strength to obey, recognizing that our flesh is very weak. And we need to trust Him that He has provided the necessary power through the Holy Spirit to do what He has commanded us to do.

"God is at work in you giving you the desire and the power to achieve His purpose."

Father, I know that apart from Jesus I can do nothing. But I also know I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Forgive me for the times when I forget how weak I am and think that I can handle things on my own. Forgive me for the times when I failed to trust You that through Christ I had the power to fulfill Your purposes. Enlighten the eyes of my heart so that I will know what is the surpassing greatness of Your power toward us who believe. Help me place all my confidence in the power of Christ, for I am not adequate in myself to consider anything as coming from myself, but my adequacy is from You. And please, Lord, empower me in such a way that it will be evident to all that the surpassing greatness of the power comes from You and not from myself.