The Power and the "Want To"

..."for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Philippians 2.13

Because of the way it is written, I had always heard/read this verse to mean that it was God's will and God's action that fulfills His good purpose in me.  Though it's true that my faith-filled life begins with His will and His action on my behalf, that's not what the writer was talking about here.

Apart from Christ we are unable to do what is good in the eyes of God.  Apart from His Spirit living inside us, our best efforts to do good are like filthy rags in the presence of a holy God. Without the counsel of His Word we are powerless to change.

But with Him, look out!

The amplified Bible puts it this way...  (read it slowly and thoughtfully)

[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

There is so much packed into those precious words.

When our lives call for a change that honors God, there is nothing that should be allowed to get in the way. Our lives, if we believe Him, are to be a reflection of who God is - His character, His nature, His glory! The Lord gives us the desire and the power to do exactly that.  It is only our forgivable sin that gets in the way. (1John 1.9)

"Now may the God of hope [the God from Whom hope comes] fill you with every sort of joy and peace in believing, so that you may have an abundance of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15.13

"Whatever was written before was written for our instruction that by the endurance and the encouragement that the Scriptures give us we may have hope." Romans 15.4

Lord, help me to honor You.  I don't want to be stuck in old ways, old patterns, the old me. Let my life be a reflection of Your glory. Help me to be more like Jesus, who died to give me life and make me free! I love You, Lord. You are El Shaddai... all I need. Fill me with Your Spirit. Forgive me of my unbelief and that sin that entangles me. You are good.  Amen.

"I support your right to choose..."

Or do I?  I believe in a sovereign Creator.  He is a God who created the world ("The earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features." Google Dictionary)  I believe He has a purpose and a plan for His creation.  (Why else would He have created it?  Who creates something out of nothing, and then walks away?  Wait.  Don't answer that.)  I can be outspoken about sin, but do I have the right to be outspoken about the sinner?  No.  He or she has the right to choose that which he or she is led by his or her own conscience, whether for good or for harm.  And I support that right.

Should I help pass legislation that supports that right?  No.  Doing so has the potential to support the sin.  If I say a woman should be free to choose whether or not she wants to put an end to the life that lives within her own body, and she chooses death, I have made it possible for her to do so.  I oppose abortion, so I vote "no," regardless of how it's worded on a ballot.  If I say a homosexual couple should be free to choose whether or not they want to live according to their "natural" desires, agreeing on a ballot to change the definition of the terms "husband" and "wife," I have sanctioned the acts that go along with that.  I oppose homosexual "marriage", so I vote "no."

Am I a "bad" person because I stand opposed?  No.  I'm exercising my conscience.  Just as others exercise theirs.  We are "bad" people when we do "bad" things.  (I am included in that.)  In that, we all are capable of being "bad" people.  "Bad" is a reference to morality, isn't it?  Who defines morality?  (I suppose that's become more and more subjective.)

I support your right to choose.  I do not support the sin that you (or I) choose to practice.  There are always negative consequences with sin.  My friend Dawn said, "I'm going to support legislation that makes it hard for folks to sin, because I want the blessing of God, (and) not the back-splash of the consequences of others' sin."  That's a great way to look at it, in my opinion.

So, yes.  Your right to choose is the same as mine, I support that.  And, overall, God is our judge.