Philippians 2:12-13 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.
Salvation
is not an event; it is a process. Salvation is God’s gift, for there is nothing
we can do to save ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9). Yet with salvation comes the
responsibility to work out our salvation. Once we have been saved, we must
claim all that has become ours.
Through
salvation, God gave you victory over sin. That victory applies not only to past
sins but also to every sin you will ever commit. When you became a Christian,
God made you a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). God wants to continually build new
things into your life as you walk with Him. God gave you His joy when He saved
you, and He wants to fill you with His joy daily. When you first repented of
your sin, you relinquished your right to your life. God continues to ask you to
yield your will to Him and to follow His leading rather than setting your own
direction for your life. When you were converted, God made everything available
to you; how you implement what He has given you is your choice (2 Pet. 1:3-9).
This is
the great paradox of the Christian life. We are to work diligently on our
faith, yet always with the awareness that only God can bring about lasting
change in our lives. As we see God at work in us, we are motivated to work even
more diligently. God will not force His changes upon us; neither can we bring
about lasting change in our lives apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
When you sense God developing an area of your life, join Him in His activity so that His salvation will be demonstrated fully.
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