The Work Is Getting Done

Are you ready for a good word today? Before I tell you what God said to me in my quiet time today, let me give you some background. So, the Holy Spirit seemed to be impressing two very important things on me in the past few weeks: slowing down and obeying. The link between the two was not lost on me. One of the most important lessons I learned years ago was, if I was so immersed in my problems, handling and medicating every little symptom, rather than stepping back and looking for the source of the problems, I'd end up exhausted, frustrated, and still immersed in problems. The thing I'm learning now is, that is not where God wants me to be. Jesus offers us rest in Him; we don't have to be frustrated even with the troubles of the world; and with God, all things are possible. If I am exhausted, frustrated, and knee-deep in problems, I am not walking in what God has for me; I am living contrary to what He has made possible through the power of His Son, Jesus Christ, who has made me free. In short, I am disobeying God's instruction to take care of the body He has given me, to be still and trust the plan He has for my life, and to seek Him in all things.  It's important to slow things down and gain some perspective in order to obey.

Now, all of that being said. I DO NOT DO THAT. Not in everything, which is a lot less than the obedience I want to have in all things. I do not always take things slowly. I do not always pause throughout my day to talk to or even think about Jesus. I often go to bed exhausted, feel frustrated, or find myself knee-deep in problems. I don't want to be that way, but far more than I'd like, there I am. That bothers me. In addition to that, my haste and my ensuing disobedience displease the God I love. Those things do not bring Him glory, and He is worthy! As a matter of fact, exhaustion, frustration, and a preoccupation with problems are the result of my seeking glory for myself: my self-sufficiency, my plans. I long for the day "I will just get it together and be in accordance with God's design."

Here's the word: THAT DAY IS COMING! Philippians 3:20-21 says:

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

In this chapter, God through Paul is talking about obtaining a righteousness that is from God by faith in Christ (v. 9). Paul says there is work to be done; we are not simply, passively waiting for our bodies and our natures to be changed, but we are pressing on through the study of God's Word, Scripture memorization, the fellowship of believers, prayer, and service to others, to name a few. Our bodies, our natures, will be transformed in conformity with God's design by the authority and power of Jesus which brings all things into subjugation to Himself! That is good news! There is no part of us He will leave untouched; there is nothing in us too deeply rooted, too sinister or vile, He cannot transform. 

I'm getting older, of course, and my body is failing. I accept it, but I still try to eat right and exercise; the rest I have to leave up to God. However, I am not so assured when it comes to my character flaws. Why can't I just...? Why do I always...? I have so much less tolerance for my inability to get it together. I guess that's a good thing on some level; but if I don't depend entirely on my efforts, my plans, my schedule, my little "tricks" to reverse the inevitable effects of aging, why do I think character flaws or this sin nature are absolutely, unequivocally within my control. There are some aspects of my nature I have to leave up to the Holy Spirit, some aspects I have to turn over to Him on the regular. I'm not saying this a free-for-all; this is not sin that grace may abound. We sin, and we need to repent: first, for the purposes of recognizing Jesus as our Savior and our Lord, leaving behind the way in which we used to live without Him; and secondly, once we have begun following Him, we repent in recognition of the ways we do fail Him and as part of our commitment to the change we are pressing toward in concert with the Holy Spirit's work. The good news is, in addition to our pressing on and reaching forward (Phil. 3:12-14), we trust; just as we trust the day will come when we no longer know sadness or cancer or death, we trust the day will come when we no longer know sin or any remnant of the nature that causes us to sin. 

So, what is God telling you to do? Slow down? Obey? Maybe get back to regular church attendance or tithing? Know that if you heed His voice, the work will get done, by this gloriously inseparable fusion of obedience and grace, for His glory and your good.

Photo courtesy LuAnn Martin