Making Love...Last (5)
Intro: this is Part 5 of 7 contributions i'm supplying to what i like to call the Kem Meyer Bible Study Sensation. Our church (Granger Community Church, Indiana) is currently working through a series about love, and we've been challenged with reading Philippians 2:1-15 each day for the next week. Each of my contributions will cover 3 verses from that reading. These are just my thoughts - they're young, growing and fragile - so be kind.
Most of what i've covered in the last 6 verses has focused in on God's character of love and humilty toward us, as sinners, in his son, Jesus Christ. In v12, Paul returns his attention back to the Philippians as an encourager. You could say that's Paul's nature. When you read his letters, words reflect a tone of joy and hope. I'd like to spend the next two verses looking at the tone of Paul's voice to the Philippians and the message he's drilling in to them.
In v12, Paul tells the Philippians (and to us, if we lump ourselves in with them as saints) they have "always obeyed." Paul then takes that encouragement a bit further when he tells the Philippians their obedience has increased "in my absence." Wow. What a compliment! Have you ever been on a spiritual "high?" Ever felt like everything was just right. Like, God's presence is strong, you feel spiritually mature amongst friends and your prayer life is deep and consistent. (Hear that angelic choir in the background? *smile*) I have felt this "high" on a few, rare occasions only to suddenly find myself in a spiritual landslide where i end up flat on my face. Ouch.
Spiritual highs are great, but they can also be dangerous. They can lead us to put off what God's calling us to do, miss opportunities to witness to others and lead us into ruts of routinely dry and rehearsed acts of worship. STOP! Don't get comfortable! Do get renewed again and again. Don't miss this: God always has something new to do with you. Now, focus in on this one thought: Where we are at our best is where the enemy likes to do his worst. Nothing pleases Satan more than hurting us and damaging our reputation in Christ. Likewise, nothing breaks God's heart more than seeing us submit to the enemy rather than to Him. So Paul's next words, though followed by an encouragement, carry serious weight: "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling."
Doesn't that sound appealing? (sarcasm) The Greek form of work (out) is katergazomai, meaning to work fully or accomplish. Salvation we know but we can put it another way, too: deliverance (from danger). Fear, in Greek, is phobos meaning exceedingly fear, and here the context is a reverential fear of Christ. Trembling comes from the Greek word tromos, meaning quaking with fear. To paraphrase v12, we are to accomplish our deliverance from danger with an exceedingly healthy amount of fear and reverence for God/Christ. We need to be on guard! (Phil. 4:7) *By the way, the amplified version of v12 is great. Check it out.
Paul stresses that though we have been united with Christ (v1), and our salvation granted, there is this new life (in Christ) that requires a sort of maintenance. I'm not saying we can lose our salvation (not if we've sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior). But take a look at v13: "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." A lot of action in this verse! There's "to will" (an expression of desire), "to act" (or perform) and "according to" (by His accord or ... wait for it ... like-mindedness).
If i were to paraphrase this verse, it would look something like this: Notice that God moves your heart (Ezra 1:5) to willingly desire and perform for His pleasure and complete joy (v2; i love how this thought comes around full circle!) Christ leads us to the cross, to repentance and deliverance from our sins, but doesn't want us to stay there. Why should he? He didn't stay there either! Instead, Christ calls us to live out our lives with reverence for him, completing ourselves through him and through loving others in the process. I never see a God wanting to manipulate or control me. I do see Abba, the One and only wanting to adore me, and that moves my heart every time.
Most of what i've covered in the last 6 verses has focused in on God's character of love and humilty toward us, as sinners, in his son, Jesus Christ. In v12, Paul returns his attention back to the Philippians as an encourager. You could say that's Paul's nature. When you read his letters, words reflect a tone of joy and hope. I'd like to spend the next two verses looking at the tone of Paul's voice to the Philippians and the message he's drilling in to them.
In v12, Paul tells the Philippians (and to us, if we lump ourselves in with them as saints) they have "always obeyed." Paul then takes that encouragement a bit further when he tells the Philippians their obedience has increased "in my absence." Wow. What a compliment! Have you ever been on a spiritual "high?" Ever felt like everything was just right. Like, God's presence is strong, you feel spiritually mature amongst friends and your prayer life is deep and consistent. (Hear that angelic choir in the background? *smile*) I have felt this "high" on a few, rare occasions only to suddenly find myself in a spiritual landslide where i end up flat on my face. Ouch.
Spiritual highs are great, but they can also be dangerous. They can lead us to put off what God's calling us to do, miss opportunities to witness to others and lead us into ruts of routinely dry and rehearsed acts of worship. STOP! Don't get comfortable! Do get renewed again and again. Don't miss this: God always has something new to do with you. Now, focus in on this one thought: Where we are at our best is where the enemy likes to do his worst. Nothing pleases Satan more than hurting us and damaging our reputation in Christ. Likewise, nothing breaks God's heart more than seeing us submit to the enemy rather than to Him. So Paul's next words, though followed by an encouragement, carry serious weight: "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling."
Doesn't that sound appealing? (sarcasm) The Greek form of work (out) is katergazomai, meaning to work fully or accomplish. Salvation we know but we can put it another way, too: deliverance (from danger). Fear, in Greek, is phobos meaning exceedingly fear, and here the context is a reverential fear of Christ. Trembling comes from the Greek word tromos, meaning quaking with fear. To paraphrase v12, we are to accomplish our deliverance from danger with an exceedingly healthy amount of fear and reverence for God/Christ. We need to be on guard! (Phil. 4:7) *By the way, the amplified version of v12 is great. Check it out.
Paul stresses that though we have been united with Christ (v1), and our salvation granted, there is this new life (in Christ) that requires a sort of maintenance. I'm not saying we can lose our salvation (not if we've sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior). But take a look at v13: "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." A lot of action in this verse! There's "to will" (an expression of desire), "to act" (or perform) and "according to" (by His accord or ... wait for it ... like-mindedness).
If i were to paraphrase this verse, it would look something like this: Notice that God moves your heart (Ezra 1:5) to willingly desire and perform for His pleasure and complete joy (v2; i love how this thought comes around full circle!) Christ leads us to the cross, to repentance and deliverance from our sins, but doesn't want us to stay there. Why should he? He didn't stay there either! Instead, Christ calls us to live out our lives with reverence for him, completing ourselves through him and through loving others in the process. I never see a God wanting to manipulate or control me. I do see Abba, the One and only wanting to adore me, and that moves my heart every time.
