Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11; Philippians 2; Ezekiel 41; Psalms 92 & 93
Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
If you are a follower of Christ, you have salvation from the LORD. He has ‘saved’ you with an ‘ed' on the end of the word. You are not working to be saved, but you already are saved. Jesus said:
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
In this verse, the Lord says those who have believed have everlasting life and are already passed from death unto life. Too many people think they are still working for their salvation and it is yet to be determined if they are saved or not. In this passage of Scripture, the Bible is instructing us to work out our own salvation. There is a big difference between work FOR and working OUT. When you work out your own salvation, you are working to understand all that God has done for you in Christ.
Being saved is walking in relationship with Jesus Christ on a moment by moment basis. It means that he has purchased you with his own blood and you are no longer your own, but you belong to Jesus. It means that you have an eternal destiny as a child of God and he has good works for you to walk in now. It means that you are a soldier engaged in a spiritual battle against an enemy that seeks to kill you, steal from you and destroy you. There is much to work out! Have you spent the time studying and prayerfully considering what your salvation is truly all about?
The great news is that while you and I are working out what it means to follow Jesus, God is at work IN us! The Holy Spirit of God lives in all believers and he is working on changing us from the inside out. He has a will for our lives that he is doing in us. As we perceive the changes he is making in us, we can work out the practical application in everyday life. This is the pleasure of God to make us more like Christ! What an exciting thought to know that God is working in our lives!
In Christ,
Rody
