Dedicated works
Philippians 2:12-18 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
I am tired. If you keep up with this ministry, you get a glimpse of my life, my struggles, and my desire to keep my eyes and heart for Christ in all the trials of life. I am far from perfect, I fail continually, and thankfully the Holy Spirit living inside me convicts me of my sin. The past couple of weeks have been almost comical to the point of things going wrong; such is life sometimes in the seasons of life. It is ok, it is all a part of God’s plan for my life, and I continually seek Him daily for comfort and strength in it. I, from the bottom of my heart, have a heart for God. I want to be a better person, a better disciple for Christ, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. I am swimming upstream in the midst of a river of sin, and my own sins drag me down. It is only with the strength of Christ that I am able to continue on, the fear of drowning in that river the world is producing right now. I am trying to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. The Greek verb for this is Katergazesthe; “The word signifies working thoroughly at a thing, and taking true pains. Observe, We must be diligent in the use of all the means which conduce to our salvation. We must not only work at our salvation, by doing something now and then about it; but we must work out our salvation, by doing all that is to be done, and persevering therein to the end.” (Matthew Henry).
Paul had just pointed to the deity of Christ in the verses prior; the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. He has provided the means of your salvation through that Grace alone. You can never do any work to attain it, but you can dedicate your life to it. You can come to that realization of that Grace; and that is a heart changed for your time here, and into eternity. A heart that grasps Grace and the prize found in it, is a heart that seeks to serve the One who gave it. That heart is moved in reverent fear from the One who holds life and death of your eternal soul in His hands. Reverent fear produces Godly results; Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Working out your Salvation may be a term steep in theology, but in it is also a simplicity: Live your life honoring the One who gave you life. Living your life in the pursuit of God and the things of God, will produce the good works of God, through you. This heart for God shows the evidences of God to the world drowning in that river of sin. In Him you have that life-vest; in Him you can show others how to not drown as you work out your salvation in that river.
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