Topic: Empowered to Do Good Works  [Church of God Mission International] Above Only Daily Devotional 19 May 2021

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Wednesday May 19, 2021

Empowered to Do Good Works

Matthew 7:16-17 (CEV), Romans 12:2 (CEV), Philippines 2:13 (KJV, LB)
You can tell what they are by what they do. No one picks grapes or figs from thornbushes. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. *Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. *For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. *For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you to do what he wants.

The primary reason you can do what is right and walk in the ways of God is because by your faith in Christ, you have the life of God. You are a new creature. Old things have passed away and all things have become new (2Cor.5:17). You are God’s workmanship recreated in Christ Jesus to do good works (Eph.2:10).

Now, the life of God that is in you needs to grow and develop so that it can manifest. The life of God in us grows and manifests as we fellowship with God and give ourselves to prayer, the study of God’s word and to the leading of the Spirit of God. Doing good starts from within and as our minds are renewed, our lives are transformed and we are able to know and do God’s will. We will start thinking like God and have a godly perspective to life.

We must be will to think, pray, declare and practice God’s word that we are receiving. Hebrews 5:14 reveals that as we grow and mature spiritually by the use or application of God’s word in our lives, we are able to discern between good and evil. To grow spiritually, we need to give ourselves to the revelation of Christ (Acts 20:32) and pray in the Spirit (Jude 1:20).

God is at work in us by His Spirit. As we yield ourselves to the leading of the Spirit of God, we will find ourselves knowing and doing what pleases God. One of the attributes of the New Testament is that God puts His law into our minds and He writes them in our hearts (Heb.8:10). This means that God causes us to know and understand His ways and makes us willing to work in His ways. God does this by the operation of His Spirit in us.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your life and the operation of your Spirit in me. Help me to receive and apply your word to my life.

Bible in One Year Reading Plan
1 Samuel 24:1-25:44, John 10:22-42, Psalm 116:1-19, Proverbs 15:20-21