Meeting 8/15/20
Phil. 2: 12-13.
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose."
Does anyone know what this passage really means? I'm going to need the Lord to provide some spiritual understanding, for my own understanding consistently falls short. But sometimes it's best to start with what you do know, and not let what you don't know derail you. First, there's a 'therefore' again. Paul has been talking about the importance of relationships and the perfect example of Jesus and His Lordship. So, considering those things, he concludes these two verses.
Second, I'm thankful he calls me a dear friend. I know the Lord opposes my proud heart. I know He despises my lust of the flesh. A dear friend loves graciously and understands. It means a ton that I'm no longer considered an enemy of God, but now He calls me friend. He's on my side. I'm on His team. He is with me and for me. That's good news.
'Always obeyed'? Oh my. Not me. I'm guilty of disobedience and second-guessing God, questioning His perfect will and sovereign plan, as if I know better. Argh. Sigh. Would I obey even in His presence? But He is indeed actually with me in Spirit! There's no excuse or escape for me. Guilty as charged. When He is away from me? Oh my. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. Lord, help me and forgive me. Strengthen my resolve to obey and believe.
So I will continue to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. It starts to get a little slippery here, but I believe Paul is still talking about obedience here. The work of salvation is complete and finished. The work referenced here is our faith in action through obedience. After salvation, we are called to sanctification as disciples of Christ. We follow His example and He conforms us into His image along the way. We are to not only read His Word, but actually do what it says. Consider it explained this way: "it is because I am saved that I will do these things and think this way". We could go on a very long journey about obedience, so this is but a brief summary to introduce it. You talk about a deep subject! Remember this: "Jesus learned obedience through suffering." (Heb. 5:8). Chew on that for a bit...This 'fear and trembling' is at least the 'reverent submission' mentioned in Heb. 5:7. It speaks of a code of honor that is foreign in our present culture. It speaks of humility and respect. It's rich with thankfulness. It's defined by representing as an ambassador. It's laced with meaning and purpose, which brings us to the concluding sentence in this passage.
God is working in us to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. I want to be very careful here because again, I admit I'm not sure exactly what this means or how this works. Let's again look at what we do know. It's amazingly true that God is actively working within us. Thank You, Lord! It's also true that we are created for Him, not the other way around. I believe we struggle with this and get it backwards. We tend to think He exists to fulfill our every wish, as if He's a genie in a bottle. Forgive us, Father. No, He is working in us to fulfill His purpose, not ours. And friends, His is a good purpose. Are you like me and question that fact? If you're like me, you pray for something, it doesn't turn out like you wanted, so you grumble and doubt His goodness and sovereignty. We have to leave outcomes and results in His hands. That future stuff is locked in His time capsule, out of our reach. He definitely hears our prayers, but He knows exactly what the best answer is, because He's working out His good purpose. Our problem is that we rarely can see it in the immediate time frame. We need to hang on and trust Him. Perhaps, in time, He will allow us to see it. But there are just some things we can't explain and have to accept, most of the time in grieving a loss. We must trust Him even if things don't turn out as we are praying. We know He is with us and even cries with us. He holds us and comforts us. Today, hear His voice gently reassure, "I'm sorry it's not what you wanted and not easy. I understand. It's going to be okay. There's something good coming that is beyond what you can imagine or comprehend. Trust Me. I love you."
