Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Quick story for you guys. I grew up playing football and I was naturally really gifted. I'm not saying that to brag or anything like that. I'm just coloring in the lines for you. But I was naturally really gifted and I didn't really have to practice much. I could wait to pretty much like a week or two before training camp, and that's when my conditioning would start.
I remember my dad used to be so frustrated with me, and he would tell me all the time, "You need to develop some discipline and get into some rhythms when it comes to practicing and improving on the skill set that you've been naturally gifted in." And he would say, "I wish I could take the fire that I have for you as your dad, and the will for you to do good and put it inside you and match that with what you do on the field—you would be unstoppable."
When Natural Gifts Aren't Enough
What ended up happening was I got to high school and kids were a lot bigger. They were a lot faster. They were practicing. I'm not the biggest guy right now. And still my dad had the same fire and same excitement for me to do well. And even though I was starting later in the game when it came to practicing and developing those disciplines, he was willing to bridge the gap.
That's what a good father does. That's exactly what Paul is saying here in Philippians chapter 2. Today we're going to read verse 13 together, and it says, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
The Heart of Christ
In this chapter, Paul is talking about what it means to have a Christlike attitude when it comes to serving, to doing the will of the Father. Just a few verses before, starting at verse 5, he says, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, "he gave up his divine privileges and was born as a human being." That's the type of heart that we're called to have.
What's so beautiful about this, jumping back to verse 13, is we don't have to have that just off of our own strength or off of our own will. It says, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire." Let's just stop right there. So through His Spirit, He's giving you an extra boost of will to do what He's asking you to do.
You mean I don't even have to come up with wanting to do it all on my own in order to do what You've asked of me? You're willing to bridge the gap in that way. Then He goes on to say He's giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him. So not only are You going to help my heart so that I'm able to do what You're asking, but You're going to help me actually be able to do it as well?
God's Empathetic Heart
Paul is encouraging this church with the fact that God has an empathetic heart for how hard it is to follow Him. Sometimes it's not easy, but God is committing right here to filling those gaps the same way my dad committed to fill in the gaps with me. I know sometimes it can be really hard to step forward into what God is asking of us, right? Going back to that Christlike attitude when it comes to doing His will, it can be really hard to step forward.
But that's my challenge for you today: step forward. The only thing that we can control is our choices. We can't control any outcome. But again, that's where God commits to fill in the gaps. My hope for you today is that you'll choose to step forward and allow God to bridge the gap for you.
We're praying for you.
