I don’t know if you’ve heard the story of C. T. Studd the great Christian missionary. He went to a fair years and years ago and was captivated by a man pumping a well.
The thing that grabbed him was how fast he was pumping and how long he was able to pump. He said to himself, “No man can do that. What kind of vitamins does he take? What kind of exercise program is he on?”
He walked over to get a closer look. He found that the man dressed in Oriental garb was not a man. He was a stick figure. His elbows were hinges. He was not pumping the well, the well was pumping him. It was an artesian well. You see, there was a power that turned the man.
I believe that’s exactly what Paul is saying. He says, “I want you to know something. I want you to know it’s not you doing it for God. It’s God doing it in and through you as you bow before Him.” Listen, it’s a 200% relationship. It’s 100% my willingness to obey, yield and bow, but it’s also 100% His power, His presence and what He can do in and through me that I cannot do and certainly will never deserve.
