The God who enables

I think one of the greatest shortfalls we as Christians face on an hourly basis is that we think far too little of God. We underestimate all that he has done throughout history, what he continues to do in our lives today, and what he promises he will certainly do in the future. We undervalue his greatness, grandeur, and glory. And we do all that we can to lessen, impair, and degrade the extent of his power, sovereignty, and wisdom - no doubt attributing many of the things that happen around us to our own hard work, wisdom, and ingenuity. We love to make much of ourselves. We cannot conceive of a God who would accept those who do not merit or earn his love. And yet, this is the God we read of in the scriptures.

• "And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone." - 1 Corinthians 12:6
• "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." - Colossians 1:29
• "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and work for his good pleasure." - Philippians 2:12-13
• "Now may the God of peace...equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." - Hebrews 13:20a, 21
• "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." - 1 Corinthians 15:10

He is not a God who demands obedience and leaves us to our own devices. He is the God who sees our need and enables us to perform that which we could never do on our own. All our energy, our ability, our will, our vitality is derived from the well-spring of life - from the great Giver of all things. From the turning point of our lives at the moment of our confession that Jesus was Lord to the most mundane, everyday acts, he is the merciful God that not only saves but empowers us to the uttermost. We live, speak, think, love, believe because it is a gift of his grace to us every moment of every day. He is working in us that which is pleasing in his sight - I cannot say it any clearer than that.

SDG