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I accomplished a huge job, one that I had been putting it off: Winterizing our trailer for the season.
Part of the reason I was putting it off is because winterizing the trailer means no more fun outings until next summer. It also means that the colds of winter are on the way.
Another reason I had been putting it off is that I don't really know what I’m doing. I had done it two years ago, using a youtube video as my guide; but last year, since the trailer was going in for service anyway, I had it professionally done. So whatever learning curve there might have been from year one was completely forgotten by this, our third season with this particular trailer.
Other reasons I was putting it off included the fact that I had neither the antifreeze nor the time to devote to such a large project.
But the time had come. I had an entire day without any other projects, and so I gulped back my regret for yet another camping season coming to an end, went out and purchased the antifreeze, and got a youtube "how-to" video loaded on my phone. I was set.
I admit, it took most of the day, and there was a lot of trial and error; but the water lines are now empty of water and full of antifreeze, the exterior has been washed and waxed, and the cover is firmly in place. A job well done!
Over the past three Nuggets, we have been looking at the powerful passage in Philippians 2:12a-13: "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure." (NASB). Initially we came to understand that this text is talking about our new life in Christ, and the admonition to become more Christ-like in character is to be made a number one priority in our lives. Last Thursday, in "Working Out Our Salvation", part 3, we saw that the first step to becoming more Jesus-like is to desire to be like Him, and when the desire is lacking, we can rely on Him to empower us.
But the verse doesn't end there. It goes on to say, "for it is God who is at work in you...to work for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13b NASB) What does it mean, exactly, to "work for His good pleasure", and how do we go about accomplishing this? Where do we start? There doesn't seem to be a youtube how-to guide video for this!
No, we have something much better than youtube: God's Spirit! It is His responsibility to show us how to rid ourselves of the old habits: "And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment..." (John 16:8 NASB). Therefore, the place to start is where God's Spirit tells you to start. Our only responsibility is to be open to His Spirit! He will begin to bring something to your attention, and generally He'll do so in multiple ways. For example, God may be speaking to you about forgiving your neighbour. Your Bible readings for the past three days have all focused on that, and the sermon on Sunday was on the same topic. They say that when God repeats Himself, He is trying to get your attention!
God then works on our spirits in order for us to come to the place where we desire to work on this area in our lives (See Working Out Our Salvation, Part 3), and He will motivate us to keep on pushing onward to the end.
Up until now, we will notice that we haven't had any responsibility at all other than to be open to His Spirit. But just like I eventually had to put my how-to video aside and actually do a few things in my trailer, we do eventually have to put some effort into this cleansing process. And it isn't always easy. There may even be a lot of trial and error. We will fail from time to time. And sometimes we fail each and every time. Nonetheless, even when we fail, we are still following the advice of Philippians 2:12-13: We are working out our Salvation! And when we are serious about making it our #1 priority, we are doing so with fear and trembling. That is our part. The rest is God's. And not only has He promised to help us want to become more Christ-like; but He also promises to help us, "...work for His good pleasure": "...for it is GOD who is at work in you..."!
No, the process of adopting the new life in Christ, the process of becoming more Christ-like isn't an easy one; but God will never ask us to do anything except that He is willing and able to help us achieve that goal. Our only responsibilities are:
a) to be open to God's Spirit to guide us;
b) to make our new life in Christ our number one responsibility;
c) to be willing to ask God to put the desire in our hearts to be more Christ-like; and
d) to be willing to stick to it until the end!
We can expect God to do the rest, for He has promised to "...work in you both to desire and to work for His good pleasure." (NASB).
This is the last part to the "Working Out Our Salvation" mini-series. If you have missed any parts, you can access them here, or by emailing me. God bless you all as you strive to "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling..."!
Oh, and I think I had better add cleaning out my crawl space to my list of "must do"s this fall... I think I'll ask God to help me by putting the desire to do so in my heart!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Moderator, Associate Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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