God Glorified by Working Obedience in Us
Obedience shines brightest when Christ walks through us.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reflection from Bob Hoekstra centers on the reassuring and instructive truth that God Himself is the One who produces obedience in us—and He alone deserves the glory for it. Hebrews 13:20–21 reminds us that it is “the God of peace” who makes us complete in every good work and works within us what is well pleasing in His sight—through Jesus Christ.
Rather than leaving us to figure out how to obey, God provides both the desire and the power to do His will. The New Testament is full of Christ’s commands: to love sincerely, serve faithfully, pray continually, and forgive freely. But rather than striving in our own efforts to fulfill these commands, we are invited to recognize that it is Christ in us who lives these things out as we yield.
Obedience, then, is not the product of our disciplined attempts to conform to a moral code—it is the outflow of the Spirit’s life within us. Every act of love, kindness, hospitality, or forgiveness that glorifies God is not something we conjure but something He authors. And because He is the One doing the work, He alone receives the glory, now and forever.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have not left you to perform the will of God through human striving. I am the One who works in you, both to will and to do for My good pleasure. The very obedience that pleases the Father is the fruit of My presence within you.
I do not ask you to love from your own supply. I am love in you. I do not send you out to serve alone—I am the Servant-King dwelling within. Prayer flows from My communion with the Father through your yielded voice. Hospitality springs from the welcome I have placed in your heart. Truthfulness, compassion, forgiveness—all these are born of Me and expressed through you.
Each time you forgive, I am being seen. Each time you labor in kindness, I am moving through your hands. Every act that pleases the Father is a work I began, sustained, and completed in you. You are not the source—you are the vessel.
And when glory rises from earth to heaven for what is seen in your life, it does not rest on your shoulders. It ascends to Me. This is My design—that you would walk in good works I prepared beforehand, and that all honor would return to the throne of grace.
You are My workmanship. Rejoice, then, not in your accomplishments, but in My life made visible through yours.
Scriptures referenced: Hebrews 13:20–21; Philippians 2:13; Romans 12:9–13; Ephesians 4:25–32; Revelation 5:11–13; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 2:10
🔑 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like walking through your home at night with motion-activated lights. You take a step, and light floods the room—not because you powered it, but because the system was already wired to respond. Your part is to walk; the power comes on automatically. So it is with obedience—you step forward by faith, and His life shines through.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rejoice that I do not have to conjure up obedience or chase after the power to please You. You have already placed within me the very life of Christ, and He is fully capable of living in a way that honors You. I thank You that every act of love, every word of grace, every unseen kindness flows from the One who lives in me. May my life be a canvas for Your glory, and may all praise rise to the throne where the Lamb is forever exalted. I rest today in the joy of Your workmanship.