God Working in Us What Pleases Him
Just as a candle glows when lit, so we shine when God works through us.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
God never intended us to strive in our own strength to please Him. His delight is not found in self-effort, but in surrendered hearts through whom He expresses His life. Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra reminds us that pleasing God flows not from trying harder, but from trusting deeper. The obedience He desires is a fruit of His work within us, not our frantic efforts for Him.
Hebrews 13:20–21 reveals the beautiful simplicity of how this works. The God of peace—not the God of pressure—makes us complete in every good work by working in us what pleases Him. It’s His internal craftsmanship, not our external performance. Even our longing to live for His will, rather than our own, is the result of Him forming something new within us.
When we live for ourselves, we fall short of His glory. But when we abide in Christ, He lives through us—and that life is pleasing to God. Just as He worked through Peter and Paul, He now works through us. His aim is not temporary behavior modification but establishing our hearts in holiness, from the inside out. This is the kind of obedience that endures and the kind of life that reflects Christ.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am not asking you to impress Me. I am inviting you to trust Me. The work that pleases Me is the work I do through you, not the works you try to do for Me. I do not call you to strive, but to yield—to let Me express My life within your surrendered heart.
You were never designed to live for yourself. I redeemed you so you would live for the One who died and rose again on your behalf. This life in you is Mine, and I delight to live it through you. I am the One shaping you for every good work. I am the One forming holiness within you. As you rest in Me, I will produce in you what is acceptable in My sight.
I made Paul an ambassador, not by human appointment but by My indwelling presence. I worked in Peter and in him—and I now work in you. This is not a distant transaction; this is intimate transformation. I dwell in your spirit, and from that holy place I am establishing you, stabilizing you, shaping you into the likeness of My Son.
You do not need to fabricate obedience—it is the outflow of abiding. I am working in you what pleases Me. Walk in that assurance, for it is through Jesus Christ that this life is not only possible—it is promised.
Scriptures referenced: Hebrews 13:20–21; 2 Corinthians 5:15, 5:20; Ephesians 5:8–10; Galatians 2:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:13
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like a candle filled with wax and wick, but unable to shine until the flame is lit. The wax cannot ignite itself; it must receive the fire. Once lit, it glows not by effort, but by design. So it is with you—your life glows with what I ignite within, not what you try to produce without.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I don’t have to perform to please You. In Christ, You have already placed Your Spirit within me to will and to do Your good pleasure. I rest in the truth that You are working in me—even now—what is pleasing in Your sight. Thank You for making me complete, not by my striving, but by Your grace at work in me. May Jesus be glorified through every expression of this life You now live in me.