Working out what is being worked within!

Salvation is ongoing and it must be worked. This is not that our salvation comes by something we do. Salvation comes through belief in Jesus and him alone. What it does mean that our immersion in Jesus is from head to toe and we are to be completely covered in Jesus throughout all our lives.

Jesus went to the cross once and for all…our response is to strive and seek to be more like him all that we are, all that we live, and all that we do.

This text is often misused to instill fear into people, warning them that it means that they can lose salvation. What does it mean to work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Paul can hardly be encouraging believers to live in a continuous condition of nervousness and anxiety. That would contradict his many other exhortations to peace of mind, courage, and confidence in the God who authors our salvation. The Greek word translated "fear" in this context can equally mean "reverence" or "respect." Paul uses the same phrase in (2 Corinthians 7:15) where he refers to Titus as being encouraged by the Corinthians’ reception of him “with fear and trembling,” that is, with great humility and respect for his position as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul himself came to the Corinthian church in “weakness and fear, and with much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3), mindful of the great and awesome nature of the work in which he was engaged.
The sense in which we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling is twofold. First, the Greek verb rendered “work out” means "to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition." We do this by actively pursuing obedience in the process of sanctification, which Paul explains further in the next chapter of Philippians. He describes himself as “straining” and “pressing on” toward the goal of Christ likeness (Philippians 3:13-14). The “trembling” he experiences is the attitude Christians are to have in pursuing this goal—a healthy fear of offending God through disobedience and an awe and respect for His majesty and holiness.

"Trembling" can also refer to a shaking due to weakness, but this is a weakness of higher purpose, one that brings us to a state of dependency on God. If you have ever watched the Olympic games, you see athletes working so hard their muscles are trembling with strain. I wonder how many of our spiritual muscles actually strain? Obedience and submission to the God we revere and respect is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2) and brings great joy.

Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.” We work out our salvation by going to the very source of our salvation—Jesus Christ and  His revealed Word of God—wherein we renew our hearts and minds, coming into His presence with a spirit of reverence and awe.

Working it out what God is working within ... You know I love ya, Don

Requirements of a busy life!!!

I love this picture...ever feel like the woman at the desk. I am starting my Graduate Degree Project and at this moment, I am feeling a little like that woman at the desk....

I have several irons in the fire... raising the four children, being a husband, Grad School, preaching next Sunday, Worship responsibilities, getting ready for winter, DADS group, and trying to maintain this blog. Lots of things in the works and some more important than others, yet there is a special need in each one. It has become more and more apparent to me that in order to maintain a good schedule for each of item I must maintain my relationship with God. H. Cecil Pawson in England wrote:

FEW are called to be leaders like Moses, but all are called to make things; for God who is our maker gave us this instinct. And soon we begin with bricks, sand, and blocks to express this desire.

We were made for full employment. Some make laws; others ships, cars, homes, and gardens. More important, in all our making of things, we are being made ourselves for better or for worse.

Are we consciously working, day by day, in accordance with God's design? In obedience to God's command, Moses rose up early in the morning to be alone with God. The result of his keeping that appointment was the glory of God upon his way and upon his face and knowledge concerning his life's work.

God made this world and saw that it was good. We seek, through Christ, to find and to do God's will in all things in this world that God created. In this way, we help fulfill God's redemptive love and purpose, both in us as individuals and in the world around us.

Even Jesus as God new how important it was to pray and to have connection with God, the Father. In Mark 1:35 we read; "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Being connected to God is what I am made for. It is also essential in order to complete the purposes and the goals that are laid out for me.

Striving to be connected to Jesus...you know I love ya, Don

Make Every Effort...Unity....Bond....Peace

"Make every effort" is a strong statement for the faith and is then followed with the command to "get along." Paul wrote it to the Ephesian church. He wrote: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Every believer should make a quick note that it is not optional, but is a directive to live in harmony within the faith. 
It would have been easier if Paul had wrote that we should make every effort in fellowship meals or in cutting the church grass or in at least meeting every week but that is not the action Paul is calling us too...we are to make every effort in getting along and living love. A friend of mine wrote in her blog:

Do you make every effort to maintain the unity that already exists between Christians? We are extorted to make that our goal.

My sister, who had been a valuable model to me in maintaining excellent personal relationships, said one day, “I refuse to have a row with that girl – life’s too short to fall out with anyone.” We can refuse to have a row if we want to. That is making an effort to keep what we already have – unity. The problem is that if we have unity among ourselves, we sometimes ignore or neglect it. We start to work on it only when a relationship falls apart! But we must get to work before it falls apart. We must endeavor to maintain it. We do that by building an already good relationship into something even better. That takes time and effort.

We have good relationships on our church staff, but they can always be better.  We schedule regular times to eat, to have fun, and to pray together. It’s such a comfort and delight not to have to be a blessing but rather to meet with people on the same spiritual level as ourselves and enjoy a time of maintaining our unity!

I have a friend who often spends time with me – playing tennis, talking, shopping, or just relaxing – and she never fails to say before she leaves, “Let’s pray together.” It’s just a brief glance heavenwards, but what a bond of peace it adds to our relationship!

What practical things are you doing to maintain the unity of the Spirit? I am making it my new goal to put this directive in front of my life. I want to live love and I want others to know that I will diligently seek the unity of the faith through the bond of peace.

You know I love ya, Don

Do you make every effort to maintain the unity that already exists between Christians?  We are extorted to make that our goal.
My sister, who had been a valuable model to me in maintaining excellent personal relationships, said one day, “I refuse to have a row with that girl – life’s too short to fall out with anyone.”  We can refuse to have a row if we want to.  That is making an effort to keep what we already have – unity.   The problem is that if we have unity among ourselves, we sometimes ignore or neglect it.  We start to work on it only when a relationship falls apart!  But we must get to work before it falls apart.  We must endeavor to maintain it.  We do that by building an already good relationship into something even better.  That takes time and effort.
We have good relationships on our church staff, but they can always be better.  We schedule regular times to eat, to have fun, and to pray together.  It’s such a comfort and delight not to have to be a blessing but rather to meet with people on the same spiritual level as ourselves and enjoy a time of maintaining our unity!
I have a friend who often spends time with me – playing tennis, talking, shopping, or just relaxing – and she never fails to say before she leaves, “Let’s pray together.”  It’s just a brief glance heavenwards, but what a bond of peace it adds to our relationship!

What practical things are you doing to maintain the unity of the Spirit?

- See more at: http://justbetweenus.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=113281#sthash.hWHvkNla.dpuf

Expectation without the work! A wind chime for Jesus!

I can totally relate to what John Wesley writes concerning the expectation of God's blessing without the work that God has laid as a foundation to receive the blessing.  It is like being a wind chime...you just hang there and the wind does all the work. Yet, god has not called us to be a wind chime...

I see it all the time in music/worship ministry. People will come in and say, "God has laid this song on my heart and I would love to sing it in church." Some people that are involved in the music and worship department usually have a grasp of the "what" in the preparation. Then there are those that feel they should be given the opportunity to have a stage.

I remember one lady coming in to the office.  She had been attending for about two months and she wanted to sing a solo. I agreed to meet her and see what we could arrange and possible plug her into the program. She then proceeded to tell me how God had given her this song in a dream and then she heard it the next day on the radio for the first time. I was a little shocked, but God can do what he wants so I listened to her. She had never sang the song before and probably didn't realize "The Broken Road" was a little out of her range. So, I agree to work with her and try and find something that would give her the opportunity to sing in service, including the use of "The Broken Road" if we could work it up. She immediately got angry with me and said she didn't need to work on it any more because God had given it to her and that God was finally blessing her broken road. She proceeded to tell me how she was called to sing it the coming Sunday. 

Well, that singing a solo the next Sunday was not going to be an option. Their were others already in place and God had worked through our team of a people a steady progression of growth and unity. We had done the reading, the prayer, and planning in order to be prepared. This young lady was enthusiastic for her renewal of life. The good news is that she was willing to work through the process and eventually sang a solo in church about three months later.

It is a reminder to me that I am often the same way. I will seek instant gratification and inspiration. I would love to have the spiritual blessing of discernment. The truth is that God has already given me the gift of discernment. The question becomes, am I willing to do the work to study his word, meditate on his guidance, lift my mind in prayer, and listen for his direction. The reminder is one of not becoming distracted by my selfish desires, but to be disciplined to hear and seek God's desires for my life. I seek to enjoy the enthusiasm of my new found insight into God while I bathe the insight in the love of God's grace and truth.

Nobility is the Goal!

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Do you ever feel like you are on a road to destruction? I most certainly do. Oswald Chambers writes in "My Utmost for His Highest these words in response to Matthew 7:13-14...

God saves men by His sovereign grace through the Atonement of Jesus; He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; but we have to work out that salvation in practical living. If once we start on the basis of His Redemption to do what He commands, we find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not practised. The crisis will reveal whether we have been practising or not. If we obey the Spirit of God and practise in our physical life what God has put in us by His Spirit, then when the crisis comes, we shall find that our own nature as well as the grace of God will stand by us.

Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many "sons" unto glory, and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God's grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milk sops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.

Working at being "noble" with you. You know I love ya and stay on the straight and narrow path...it will be worth it. - Don

Friday Funny - How you work!

A university student was told by his dentist that he would have to have his wisdom teeth removed.

Concerned about the expense, he consulted his roommate. "I'm not sure I can afford to have my wisdom teeth pulled," he complained.

"I know," his friend replied seriously. "I've seen your SATs."

May we never forget that in this life we are at University for Heaven. "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Have fun and don't forget to laugh - You know I love ya - Don