God’s Working People
Salvation’s Work – Part VI

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:12-18

Key Verse: Philippians 2:12
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,

Look at the second verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NLT:

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.

The word “faithful” is important because it is part of God’s very nature. The Apostle Paul wrote Timothy concerning this:

If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is. (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT)

When God promises to make you holy, He cannot, by His own nature, do anything but that. In our modern vernacular, we might say, “God does all the heavy lifting when it comes to our holiness”.

First, He writes His Word on our hearts:

This is the new covenant I will make with My people on that day, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. (Hebrews 10:16)

In other words, when we put our faith in Jesus, God puts in our minds the “rights and wrongs” for this life. God uses preachers and teachers to remind His people of the things that He has written in their hearts.

Not only does God write His laws in our hearts and minds, but He also puts desires in us so that we want to do the things that carry out His work:

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. (Philippians 2:13)

I said in a recent devotional that our work for God, after our salvation, is like a person who loves his job and feels his work is hardly work. It’s something we want to do.

God truly has done all the heavy lifting in our lives, as Jesus said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

I must stop and remind myself, every so often, to stop worrying about how I’m doing in my walk with God. Or worrying whether am I accomplishing what I should for Him in this life. When I make mistakes, He is faithful to correct me. When I sin, He is faithful to forgive me. When I do not know what I ought to be doing, He opens my eyes, gives me desire, and tells me when to do it.

When doubt or fear start to invade you, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit brings these words to your mind: “God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful”.

Our only work is to be willing or say to God, “I am willing for You to make me willing”.

This is one reason Jesus called our life in Him an “abundant” life. God does all the heavy lifting, and we simply stay willing! Let’s enjoy our journey.

Father, I am willing to follow You. I am also willing for You to make me willing because I know it is in my best interest. Thank You for such love, such wonderous love! In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.