Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
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, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
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Why fear and trembling?
Because it is so easy to lose sight of these two truths:
Truth #1 —
You reap what you sow.
A. What you most think about when you are free to think of whatever you’d like is what you treasure.
B. What you treasure is where your heart is.
C. Where your heart is, is what you’re serving.
That means you are constantly “sowing seed” — thoughts — to whatever it is you’re serving.
E. What you reap is a character that is being shaped day by day by what you serve.
In other words, who you will be on the day you die is being determined daily by what you treasure — by what you think about when you are free to think of whatever you’d like.
Here’s the second truth we can all to easily lose sight of:
God’s work in you is based on his love for you. That means he’ll never force you to say “yes” to what he wants to do in you. He makes his appeal but then awaits your permission. Hence the “fear and trembling” have to do with the ever-present, ominous danger of ignoring his voice even once.
So to “work out your salvation” amounts to an urgent, unceasing prayer:
“Yes, Lord, work freely in me. Give me a willing spirit that always wants what you want and acts on it.”
