Philippians 2:12-13
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
Whenever there is a “therefore” we must look back to see what it is there for!
In this case what preceded this was speaking of God exalting Jesus to the highest place and that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord ( Phil 2: 10) So now Paul, is telling them because Christ has been exalted make sure you obey him, even when no one is looking, and live out your salvation with a holy fear of God himself!
If salvation is a gift of grace, how do we work it out? Though salvation itself is all a gift, it is not a cheap gift. It cost the blood of Christ, and as a response to his love for us, we are to live out our salvation by living a life that pleases him, honors him, and follows him.
In the Webster’s dictionary one of the definitions of follow is ” to pay attention to”.
I love that! To follow Christ I must tune in and pay attention to his lead. When I am doing this I can follow in a way that I never dreamed possible. Paying attention to Him, being on alert for Him to speak to me will be the thing that helps me keep my heart in a place of humility before God. I am basically saying, ” Jesus you are God and I am not, I want to follow your plan today” And, when I have that attitude, I can follow in a way that makes obedience joyful, even when hard.
Continue to work out your salvation, step by step. Live it out, Live it out.
Look up, Pray up, Live up.
God calls us upward, more and more each day.
with love,
Debbie
