A big part of life is what happens to you.
Who are your parents? Where were you born? Are you a soprano or a bass? A drunk driver smashes into your parked car. The company merger changes your career. Big stuff.
But a bigger part of life is how you respond to what happens to you.
Do you manage the anxiety you inherited from your mom or the anger you learned from your dad, or does it manage you?
Do you find a way to squeeze millions from the drunk driver's insurance company in a legal battle that takes 4 years and becomes a hobby of greed and revenge, or sign off on a fair settlement? A legal agreement that achieves justice, rehabilitates the driver from a bad drinking habit, and covers all of your expenses (and then some).
Do you passively neglect the Word of God because grace requires nothing of you, or actively pursue a goal of putting the Word of God into practice?
The gospel teaches us to receive salvation as a gift. It happens to us from outside ourselves. Jesus died and rose for sinners. God the Father adopts us to be his special, loved children. The Holy Spirit moves the needle of faith and maturity so that we grow in grace. God does the work!
The gospel also teaches us to use salvation to God's glory. Like any gift, it is given to us freely, but not intended to be stuffed into the bottom of a closet gathering dust bunnies. Give your salvation a work out. Do the work. Sweat. Strain. Push hard to new levels that are as dangerous as they are delightful.
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. (Philippians 2:12,13)
God works for you this week. God works in you this week. Now go to work.
PRAYER: God of grace, I've been taught to stay out of your way, fall down to the ground as an unworthy sinner, and let you do the work of salvation without me. This is true, but not the end of the story. Your grace doesn't just save me from sin, death and the devil but saves me for a good purpose. My story of life is determined both by your gifts and blessings, and my choices about those gifts and blessings. So, God, save me from myself, too. From apathy and complacency, from pride and greed. Enrich my faith to better appreciate the gift of salvation as both accomplished (Jesus died) and active (I live).
FURTHER MEDITATION: Open your Bible (are you using a printed Bible and getting off your screen?) to Philippians 2. Read verses 6-9. Whose work does this describe? Read verses 9-13. Whose work does this describe (v. 13 is the clincher, spend at least 5 minutes meditating on that verse and its meaning for your week).
Say a prayer using the PRAY acronym: Praise (tell Jesus something you appreciate about him), Repent (confess a sin), Ask (request something, make it big he can handle it), Yield (prepare to notice and use his answer to your prayer so that it gives him glory).
Daron Lindemann
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