October 5, 2017 FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and work for His good pleasure.
1 Thessalonians 5:24: “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
Those four words-“for His good pleasure”-tell it all! If it is our deepest desire to live “for His good pleasure,” then we are spiritually healthy, and conversely, if that is not our deepest desire, then we are spiritually unhealthy. We must answer this question with the awareness that we live out of our deepest desires; it’s not just about saying the right words. The great tragedy of our day is that to a great degree, many see that being a Christian is all about going to heaven when they die, and accordingly, they miss the call to be being transformed to His image while living here on earth. The salvation of God is far more than a ticket to heaven; the salvation of God touches every part of our being and it transforms our life in such a way that we become more and more like Jesus. We can resist His work of transformation in us, but we suffer loss when we do. Once we grasp the awesome, powerful truth in our spirit that “it is God who is at work in us,” our purpose in life takes on new meaning. “Working out our salvation” has to do with aligning our life with His, living for Him and not for ourselves, learning of Him and then adjusting our life where needed in order to be like Him, and walking in the light of who God is. The impact of the salvation of God is no small issue and is not something to take lightly. How bold, how brazen, how ignorant, how insensitive, and how ungrateful it is to take lightly the salvation of God! Hebrews 10:29 is a sobering warning for believers-“How much severer punishment he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” We have the privilege and the opportunity to work with God as He does His work in us, and we also have the possibility of resisting His work in us. The good news is that God is faithful even if we are unfaithful, and He will bring His plans and purposes to pass. There are two sobering facts that we cannot change; we can resist His work in us, but as said above, we suffer loss; or we can make the choice to work with Him and have as our desire to live for His good pleasure-it really is just that simple. If we have been born again of God, then the Spirit of God lives in us and He is always prompting us an enabling us to hear and obey the voice of our Father, and this is where we make the decision to walk by the Spirit, or walk by the flesh. The critical issue, the major factor in life for the believer, is whether or not they are living according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit. The scriptures make it clear that we are to “work out our salvation.” Our salvation is bigger than we presently know or understand, but when it is our desire to know the Lord in greater ways and it is our desire to live as unto Him, He will reveal more of Himself to us, and we will find that the salvation of God exceeds our imagination and fulfills the longings of our hearts. Let us take to heart the call to work out our salvation; each day is full of opportunities to in some way express the awesome salvation that we have in God.
Titus 2:11-13: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;”
Blessings,
Buddy
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