Living Out Your Salvation
I thought maybe I’d get my preach on today.
Today at lunch, I was reading through Philippians 2. Lots of awesome stuff in there.
One of the things that really hit me hard was the second half of verse 12, and also verse 13.
“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” - Philippians 2:12b-13, NLT
A question popped into my mind: Am I living out my salvation? The Bible is very clear that we are not saved through works, but by God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:9).
However… we are called to do good works, not in order to earn our salvation, but as evidence of our salvation. We are called to bear fruit. (John 15:8)
But verse 13 is the really cool part. God is going to give us the desire and the power that we need. We don’t have to do it on our own.
Thoughts?
My friend Tom mentioned James 2:14:26 (http://read.ly/Jas2.14.NLT) on my FB page. Verse 26 says, “Just as the body is without breath so also faith is without good works.” Good stuff!
This is something I’ve been thinking about too. I want to be influential not in the big corporate way, but a good witness. I struggle with this as much as anyone else does. But I’ve found that the more I’ve lived my life for God the better my life has become. It’s not perfect, but it’s easier to live out my salvation when I am taking more time to develop a relationship with Him.
As for good works, I’ve always had a heart for people who are less fortunate, and love the work I can help with through GP. But I also think that the act of loving people where they are is also something that God calls us to do. He will give us the strength to work through it and He will give us the words and opportunities to influence. Just my two cents! Thanks for this post!