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Philippians 2:12-13

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.

Personal Challenge…

Christ gave His life for mine. It is His work that makes salvation possible for me. But there is an obligation that goes with the receipt of this free gift; the obligation to work out by salvation. I can no longer just be a consumer of His grace and mercy, going to church each Sunday looking to be fed, entertained and taken care of, without being willing to contribute to the building of His kingdom with my time, my resources, my sacrifices. Salvation becomes a cooperative relationship with my Lord.

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Personal Challenge…

Eternal life in Christ is not a single event but an ongoing work of Christ in our lives. It is not enough to just know Christ, but it is imperative that Christ dwell in our hearts and permeate every aspect of our lives.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Command with a Promise…

The life of a Christian is supposed to be both static and dynamic. Static in that we are commanded to be steadfast and immovable in the teachings and ways of our God.We are not to allow the ever changing ways of the world cause us to falter on our commitment to our Lord. We must always remain strong and true to Him.

Dynamic in that we are not to sit on the laurels of our salvation but to be abounding in the works of the Lord. We should be helping in our family, church, and community. We should be proclaiming His word, feeding those who are hungry, clothing those who are in need, loving our family, friends, neighbors, and enemies. It is our responsibility to enter into the presence of our Lord tired and worn out from doing His work, not all rested up from waiting for that day to arrive.

Psalm 145:8-9 (144:8-9 LXX)
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are upon all His works.

Encouraging Words…

What a blessing it is to go through life as a Christian knowing that my God is gracious, merciful, longsuffering, and good to all. He loves His creation ..all of it, and desires that all will be renewed by choosing His Son. He is the God of love, of grace, of mercy…and I am His.

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Personal Challenge…

This is probably one of the greatest tensions in a Christian’s life…the Holy Scriptures and traditions of the Church give us so much to look forward to after we have left this temporal life. It is no wonder that those saints that have gone before us had such a deep yearning to be in eternity with Christ. Yes indeed, that will be much gain. However, we can have that glorious eternity in our lives today, and every day, if we live our lives for Christ, in Christ, by Christ’s power and authority. And why do we remain here in this temporal confinement? So that we can proclaim Christ , glorify God, and share this Good News with all whom we come into contact with.

Philippians 1:15-18

Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

Personal Challenge…

We need more Pauls in the church today. He stayed focused on his calling to share and defend the gospel of Christ. But he was also able to look around and see that those who were trying to better him, one-up him, in their preaching of the gospel, were still preaching the gospel. Even if they did not quite have it right, or if they were doing it with the wrong motives, it did not matter because the gospel was still being preached. It is God who germinates and causes the seed to grow, not us. We need to stop bickering amongst ourselves in the family of God and start working together if we are to seize the world fo Him.

Psalm 143:10 (142:10 LXX)
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God;
Your good Spirit shall guide me in the land of uprightness.

Encouraging Words…

I have a Helper to guide me through this life and lead me to a righteous life. All I need to do is reach out to Him, follow Him, obey Him and life will be glorious. Hmmm, why do I keep doing it my way?

Philippians 1:6

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Encouraging Words…

Once again I am reminded that I am not on this journey through life as a Christian alone. My Lord is active in my life. I may have not yet reached the righteousness that I desire, but I am promised that God is not done with me yet. He will be working in me, and through me, the remainder of eternity.

2 Corinthians 9:6

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Command with a Promise…

Sometimes I am so abruptly reminded just how simple the laws of the new covenant really are. Basically they are to love the Lord my God with all of my soul, spirit, mind and heart and to love my neighbor as myself. From these basic commands flow everything including giving bountifully to my Lord and my God. And giving is not just from my wealth and abundance, but everything that God has blessed me with: money, resources, time, love for my neighbor…in other words, everything.

Luke 5:31-32

Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Encouraging Words…

The work of Christ was to put an end to death, and in that work He provided healing for our ultimate sickness that leads to death. He came to lead us, His creation, into repentance and on to a live of righteousness.