13. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will, and to do, of His good pleasure.
14. Do all things without complaining, and disputing:
15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
In a dark world, you would think it would be easy for God’s light to shine through His children. But is the world more wicked and evil today than it ever has been? Are believers being the minority of the global population, something new to our age? And is it really difficult to find God’s will for our lives, or do the very things He warns against — selfish ambition, covetousness, anger, and discontentment — blind us from seeing His will clearly?
Jesus knew how essential it was for us to receive the Holy Spirit. Before going to the Cross he told His disciples that “it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you” (John 16:7). Our understanding of what was taking place may become clearer if we read John 13-17 as a changing of the guard — a transition from Jesus’ earthly ministry, where He laid the path for salvation and being born again, to God working directly with and in His children, preparing them for a life of service and for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Philippians 2:13 teaches us, “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will, and to do, of His good pleasure.” This is the accomplishing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 1 Corinthians 2:12 declares, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
We know that since the fall of man, the god of the fallen world is Satan, which makes the spirit of the world his spirit. It is a dangerous thing for believers to assume his influence is limited to unbelievers. On the contrary, the evil one has little reason to waste his efforts on those already separated from God — his focus is on those who follow Christ. This is why 1 Peter 5:8 gives such a stark warning to believers, “Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
It is interesting that Peter chose a lion to describe the devil. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah, and the lion represents the tribe of Judah. 2 Corinthians 11:14 may tell why Peter chose this example, it says, “And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” It may be that, finding God’s will for us becomes difficult when we confuse the enemy’s imitation of light for the true light of God. When what is actually darkness convinces us that it is the work of the Holy Spirit, faith can be severly tested.
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Comforter” and says He will lead us to all truth (John 14:16). He says this with good reason. Philippians 2:14 instructs us to “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” Complaining blinds us from seeing any good in circumstances we may not prefer, and it blinds us from seeing how God may turn those circumstances in our favor. In every situation, the Comforter will keeps us in understanding — if we remain calm enough to hear His whispers or sense what the natural world calls intuition. The wisdom that leads you to make decisions you wouldn’t otherwise make — decisions that save, protect, and lead you to favor — is not your own. It is the Spirit of God within you.
When we dispute with others, confusion becomes thicker and the truth gets buried deeper. This is why 2 Timothy 2:23 instructs us to “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.” When we take part in these things, we become harmful to others through verbal abuse, we open ourselves to judgment by flirting with hypocrisy, and we risk giving those with shallow faith — and unbelievers as well — a reason to doubt that grace and salvation are truly at work in our lives.
Being a Christian doesn’t rest only on what we believe individually, but on demonstrating those beliefs in how we react when challenged, provoked, or baited into disputes or debates. If we believe that Jesus is The Way, then we are to carry ourselves in the way He did. Jesus wasn’t blameless because He never became angry — Scripture shows us He became angry. He was angered by the mistreatment of His Father’s house, by the Pharisees for their hypocriscy of the Law, and He even rebuked Peter publicly. But unlike carnal anger, Jesus was blamelss because His anger was righteous indignation — anger directed at injustice toward God and toward God’s children. This type of anger is not only purposeful, it is pure and protective.
As children of God, the evil one is always trying to test our faith, and he does this by provocation. Seeking whether our reaction to his provocations will be righteous or fleshly? Consider the words of Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.“
Even though Satan accused us in the past — and no longer has the authority to accuse us before God — he still seeks to prove our faith is false. He couldn’t care less about us personally; what he cares about is making his darkness appear more powerful than God’s light. This is why, as God’s children and servants, we are called to bring glory to His name by allowing His light to shine through us. Living according to God’s will not only carries eternal reward in Heaven, but blessing in our natural lives as well. Jesus declares in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
God is not against abundance and prosperity; He desires to fulfill His promises to all His children. But we must do our part — not through works, a doctrine often argued, but through obedience to His will. This obedience is not to appear to be in subjection to God — free will is real, or to merely appear spiritual to others. But so that we may shine as lights of rightesousness in this crooked and perverse world, drawing as many as possible to His light. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Amen.