Eternal Approach

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

If we do not let the Lord work in us, then the works we produce will be of our own creation. And He will not get the glory. It is either His working or ours; either His Spirit or our own that produces the works.

If we do the work, then the world will not see Christ. They will only see us and our “Christian” good works.

They will see good works done in His name. But not those done in and through His Spirit.

The Father is not glorified in the good works which we do in our own strength. He is only glorified by His own working done by His Holy Spirit.

His works are done by His activity in us; not in our activity dedicated to Him. Even though we may give Him the credit.

We do a good deed for someone. We sing a beautiful solo in church. We preach a great sermon. We give our “tithe”. Or we give extra money for some special project of the church or for some other Christian ministry. We pray for people on our list. We read a couple chapters of the Bible every day.

We help an old lady across the street.

If our Christian “good works” are done according to the intense, devoted, will-power of our own spirit – even out of our own deeply sincere Christian spirit – even with the best of “loving” intentions – then the Lord is not glorified.

God Will Do His Own Work

We are not meant to work on His behalf. We are not here to serve some spiritual cause.

Nor to work for a Christian “movement”. No matter how good that Christian cause may be or how good that movement may be.

We are called to yield to the Lord and rest in Him, by faith.

We are called to obey the truth through the Spirit.

We are called to wait for Him as He works in us to do those things which He wills according to His good pleasure. And according to His timing.

God is not glorified in the strength or dedication or devotion of our Christian “will power”.

The only one glorified by that is the Christian himself.

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