Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Once again I’m back to the truths being so densely packed that I could unpack each verse at length! On top of that, it’s hard to decide where to draw lines, because the English and Japanese divide sen­tences differently. Since the original Greek had no punctuation at all, that’s hardly surprising, and it points up the importance of reading everything in context. In English sermons I have generally heard these two verses treated individually, which is ironic, since in print they only separate with a comma, not a period. I’ve heard many heated opinions on “work out your salvation,” from both sides of the Calvinist/Arminian divide. However, that’s resolved when we add in God working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. We are individually responsible to respond to God and apply the things He says to us, but we are never on our own in that, since He is working in us. That is one of the major tensions of the life of faith. We can’t be passive, just drifting along, but at the same time we can do nothing right on our own. (John 15:5) That pretty well eliminates pride, but that should be a foregone conclusion, since faith itself is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:9) The whole point is that we aren’t to be spiritually lazy, but keep pressing in for more of Christ, allowing Him to be formed in us more and more. That won’t be completed until we are before the Throne, but that is to be our goal, and we are to keep at it.

This has been a growing conviction in me for a long time. I have had the facts in my head for as long as I can remember, but working it out in practice, just as Paul said, is a continuing effort. Yesterday was a day of a lot of physical effort, but in the middle of it I had the opportunity to express God’s love clearly to someone, and that made all the physical effort worthwhile. Today I have a lot of things I need to do indoors, and God will carry me through all of that as well. I am not to be anxious about scheduling, but allow each thing to happen as God directs it, not being passive but applying the resources God has given me, for His glory. Every day is different, and I couldn’t do any of it strictly on my own. As Jesus said, apart from Him I can do nothing! (John 15:5) However, in Him I can do everything He asks of me, (Philippians 4:13) so I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He has told me to do, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I needed it, with all there is to be done today! Help me do it all without complaining or arguing, just as Paul said in verse 14, so that I will receive all the blessings You intend, again, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!