Bible League: Living His Word Therefore, my beloved, as you 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 who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.On the one hand, there is our responsibility to do what we believe God wants us to do. On the other hand, there is God's providential work in our lives to accomplish His Will through us. How shall we reconcile the two? For the logician, it is an either/or situation, because the two sides seem to logically cancel one another out. But for the Apostle Paul in our verses for today, in contrast, it is a both/and situation. We work out our own salvation, and God also works through us to accomplish His good pleasure. "Work out your own salvation" does not mean that the members of the Philippian church must figure out a way to save themselves. It means that in Paul's absence they are responsible on their own apart from him to work out the implications of the salvation they have received from God through faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, they should produce works befitting those who have been saved by God without Paul telling them what to do. "With fear and trembling" does not imply that if the people do not work out their salvation just right they can lose their salvation. It means that they should work out their salvation with reverential humility and respect for the God whom they serve. Since they are now responsible on their own, they should be careful not to offend God through disobedience. The truly reverent and humble person cares greatly what God thinks of them. Although the Philippian church must now work apart from Paul, they do not work apart from God. This is because God is working through them to accomplish His Will. The church can be confident that He "who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). The mind of the logician boggles before our verses for today, but the person of faith accepts and rejoices in the mystery that includes both our responsible, reverential work and God's providential work through us. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJoshua 23, 24 Joshua 23 -- Joshua's Farewell Address NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Joshua 24 -- Joshua's Summary of Israel's History; Joshua's Death NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 6:27-49 Luke 6 -- Lord of the Sabbath; The Twelve Apostles; Beatitudes; Love for Enemies; Do not Judge; Tree and Fruits; House on the Rock NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me. Insight Every person dreams and makes plans for the future. Then they work hard to see those dreams and plans come true. But to make the most of life, we must include God's plan in our plans. Challenge He alone knows what is best for us; he alone can fulfill his purpose for us. As you make plans and dream dreams, talk with God about them. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Songs 5:6 I called him, but he gave me no answer.Prayer sometimes tarrieth, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King cometh forth to fill her bosom with the blessings which she seeketh. The Lord, when he hath given great faith, has been known to try it by long delayings. He has suffered his servants' voices to echo in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, "Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through." Thus have true saints continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased him who is a Sovereign, and who gives according to his own pleasure. If it pleases him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall he not do as he wills with his own! Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials: God's long-dated bills will be punctually honored; we must not suffer Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers--they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King's archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded. Tried believer, thy Lord hath a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which thy holy groanings are numbered. By and by, thy suit shall prevail. Canst thou not be content to wait a little? Will not thy Lord's time be better than thy time? By and by he will comfortably appear, to thy soul's joy, and make thee put away the sackcloth and ashes of long waiting, and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition. Daily Light on the Daily Path Proverbs 27:24 For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.Psalm 39:6 "Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. • "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; • for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 2 Corinthians 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Proverbs 11:18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward. 2 Timothy 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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