As I stood behind a lectern in a Sunday school classroom, a friend asked, "So, does the Bible teach predestination or not?" I paused and thought about the intellectual wrestling behind that question. Then I suggested a deeper one: Do you see that God is already at work? Some of us are watching God work, but we're disengaged. We're waiting for a sign or a special feeling before we get going. Paul says we're missing out. God is already, always at work in us, giving us both the desire and the energy to serve him. That's one ditch. But there's another one. While I was working on my doctorate, I also worked in ministry. Served as an elder. Chaired the board for a nonprofit addressing global poverty. Washed the dishes. Drove the kids to school. For some reason, I was really tired. I was trying to serve everywhere, all the time. Even while I was doing graduate studies about God, I could forget that it was God who does all the work. It's easier to "do ministry" than "live for God." I can write a Bible study on my own horsepower. But they're only words on a page. Only God can stir up a genuine love for him and my neighbors. The other day, I started to power wash my driveway. Before long, one of my kids joined me in the hot sun. For hours, we sweated it out in a battle against decades of grime. He didn't have to get involved, but he saw his dad working. So he joined in. Faith that God is at work is what gets us working. God gave us the desire to be with him, and so we go.