Philippians 2:5-13

“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;”  vs. 12

Paul concludes this section with what seems at first to be an ominous imperative, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  Some might even infer from these words that the whole matter of our salvation is up for grabs, that it depends not on grace but on hard work. Of course that’s not the case. Our salvation is by grace, but it’s also a scary proposition. 

It’s scary because it doesn’t come to us as a rulebook with clearcut definitions and procedures. And as we begin to unpack it we discover that there will be mystery and a high degree of uncertainty as it unfolds in our lives. And it will be absolutely unique to who we are. And because it’s not a roadmap designed to get us into heaven, it can even be confusing. The final destination is secure, but there’s a good deal of mystery involved in our daily walk. 

As Paul indicates, sometimes we won’t even be able to move from one day to the next without fear and trembling–in fact there are hard decisions to make even in the course of a single day. The one consolation that we have is that God is at work within us to bring about a harvest of goodness, and God’s will will be done! And ultimately, that is our salvation!

Thought for the Day: How is God at work in me?