Text: Philippians 2:12-16 (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 according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life–in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Main Idea: The workplace is not just your place of business it is also a place of God’s glory.
“Working out” our salvation is about the development of what we already possess. It’s learning to think and behave like a beloved son or daughter of the Most High God.
Three realizations the Lord wants to deepen in us.
1. God is at work in you.
When you go to work, God goes with you.
• Michelangelo: “Lord, make me see Thy glory in every place.”
• Jeremiah 23:24 “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.
• Psalm 139:7 – “Where can I go from Your Spirit?”
The Lord comes to work in us every day with a loving disposition, fresh energy, creativity, and phenomenal craftsmanship.
2. “To will”
He is working on our “want to.”
Our will is connected to what we perceive to be in our best interests. The Lord is working on helping us to believe and to trust Him that His directives are in our best interest.
• When He washed the disciples’ feet … John 13:17: Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
• Matthew 5 “Beatitudes” – “Blessed are the peacemakers…”
• Blessed = “It is to your benefit”
Just a Moment piece from May 5th.
God wants more than robotic compliance. Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
There is a blessing of fellowship with the Holy Spirit in the process of getting aligned with God’s will.
Communion is God’s major instrument for His “will work” in us. (John 3:16) “God so LOVED the world.”
Whatever may be your job title, no title gives you greater significance or security than “beloved of God” (Romans 1:7).
• Romans 8:35-39 – We can lose our job title, but nothing can separate us from the love of God. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? The constant unchanging love of Christ makes us significant regardless of our job status.
The View from My Place – “Pushover”
He always handles us with care.
Understanding and internalizing His love for us is the primary factor in influencing our will.
3. “To act” (or to work)
To bring forth effects from us to impact the world for Him.
- Vs 13 “His good purpose or pleasure”And that really is the proper objective. Not my “purpose” as I imagine it or desire it, but “Your pleasure today, Lord? What is Your desired purpose through me, today?”
• Isaiah 43:7 We were created for His glory, to display His glory. That is ultimately why we are here.
Integration is the ability to see and appreciate spiritual realities in every day life. It is what Michelangelo prayed for, (“Lord, make me see thy glory in every place”).
And it is my prayer for you and me this week as God does His work in our workplace.
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