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"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purposes." (NIV Phil 2.13) 

Since I have received Christ as my personal savior, my eternal destiny is secure. Now what? Where does the motivation and the power to live as a true follower of Christ..where does that come from? The answer is in this verse. It comes from God. Otherwise, I am dead in the water. 

It is Christ IN you who will do it! A good friend gave me a book by Dan Stone this week entitled THE REST OF THE GOSPEL which has helped me to grasp the enormous significance of Phil 2.13. The Gospel is a whole lot more than the salvation that Jesus purchased on the cross. It also includes the way God planned for us to live on this earth, which is Jesus living His life through us (by our consent). An amazing thing!

God planned it to be this way before the world began, and has clearly explained it in the Scripture. It is not obscure, it is not difficult, it is a matter of grasping by faith what God says, and acting on it. Its for everyone. God wants to work in everyone -in you and me--to cause us to chose to have Him live His life in us. Then, He gives us the power, by His Spirit, to do all that He requires. 

Dan Stone in his book, says that it took him 21 years (as a pastor!) to "own" this truth, and to experience living under the control of the Holy Spirit. Other authors have written that it takes an average of 10 years for a person who accepts Christ as Savior to come to the realization that we can 'abide in Christ' by faith, that we can let God live His life through us. Some...never do. ..but spend a life time (sincerely) trying to do in the energy of the flesh what only God can do. Jesus said "Without me, you can do nothing." 

But we keep trying?

bh September 22, 2007
Blog: http://blog.bertsgoodstuff.com