"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. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that
you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the
midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in
the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of
Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being
poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am
glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice
with me. Philippians 2:12-18 NKJV
We Christians are carrying the torch of the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ in the midst of ordinary, normal, humdrum, plain vanilla lives, which numerous
forefathers of faith went through throughout two thousands years. We are called
to live His life here on the earth, bearing the light of the world, Jesus
Christ the Lord. By doing so, we shall not be heavy-laden or overburdened because
we’re taking up the yoke of Christ.
Lord Jesus has promised us. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I
am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV) Of course, there
are pressures and stresses continuously. Even maintaining ordinary life is a challenge
such as waking up in the morning, driving to and from work, working all day
long, fixing dinner, and doing chores. Aren’t they? What about raising kids,
dealing with noisy neighbors, and working together with unlovable saints in the
church? How much more would it be a challenge for us to do all things without
complaining and disputing that we may become blameless and harmless!
The world we’re living is full of crooks and perverts. Even in the
church, there are weeds as our Lord Jesus says, the phonies. The children of
God are called to shine the light out of darkness without fault. How can we
meet such a daunting need? Well, we don’t have to worry about it. Thanks be to
God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who imparts His life to us that we can
handle the pressures and challenges of lives. For us, to live is Christ. We
live for Him, in Him, through Him, with Him, to Him, and on Him.
In this manner, we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Here
salvation means the fulfillment of life, not the conversion by faith. The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. We can work out our own salvation no
matter what because it is God who works in us to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Yes, it is not I but God who works in me. We shall not forget this. This is
called the new covenant life: “Everything is coming from God and nothing coming
from me.” What a release in the midst of a perverted and adulterous generation!
God is our power and strength. So, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
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