Wednesday is Bible Study day at Cornerstone.
To the right you can see the women gathered together yesterday to study, Priscilla Shirer’s, One in a Million. If you are in this crowd, I just want to say how great it is that you show up and that you want to learn more about the spiritual journey of being a Christ follower.
If not, I encourage you to find a Bible study in your local church or area, and dig your heels into the truth of God’s Word.
So….yesterday I talked about self-emptying in conjunction to the study of Philippians and having the mind of Christ. During the course of the day, the wording ” self-emptying” filled my thoughts too many times to count. Though I admit the word sounds a little funny, like a laxative, or an eating disorder. But, that word, used by saints long gone, is powerful when you let it wash over you and really think about what it is saying.
As I walked through my day and my work, I kept noticing how often I usually and very naturally put myself and my wants first. It can be as simple as the place you take in a line, to the time you spend speaking and not listening to others, to an attitude of not responding to others if you don’t feel like responding. And, certainly it goes as deep as not responding to God when HE is speaking to you, putting your own desires at the top of the list and God’s at the middle or straggling at the bottom of the pile.
Today, we move from emptying our self…to being careful to put into action God’s saving work in our lives.
Philippians 2:12-13
“Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what is right.” NLB
Put into action God’s saving work in our lives is now taught after an exhortation to unity, and may mean that the church was to work together to rid themselves of divisions and discord. The Philippian Christians needed to obey in Paul’s absence, even though he wasn’t physically there to remind them what to do and how to live.
What do we do when we don’t feel like obeying? That is the million dollar question isn’t it? Remember God has not left us alone to fend for ourselves. It is in fending for ourselves that we get in trouble. He wants to come alongside of us and be within us to help. God helps us desire to obey him and then gives us the power to do what he wants. The secret to a changed life is to submit to God’s control and let him work in is.
Next time you are faced with to obey or not obey, to follow or take the lead yourself…Ask God to help you desire to do His will.
We hear about putting faith into action with works of service. But, today think of putting grace into action by doing your part in building unity in the body of Christ. This may be, for most of us, the biggest area self-emptying comes into play. We do not have to be “right”, the other person does not have to be “wrong”, but one thing is for sure…we just all are different, see things differently, and have our own way of doing things.
If we will begin to promote unity today by reaching out, doing the simple things, refusing to be ugly about others….we will not only see a difference in our own attitude and spiritual health, we will see a difference in the churches we are in.
It starts with one obedient heart. Let it be yours.
with activated grace,
Debbie
