DAY TWO: FEAR AND TREMBLING? by Jennifer Love
“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13
Thomas Merton says, “To work out our own identity in God….is a labor that requires sacrifice and anguish, risk and many tears. It demands close attention to reality at every moment, and great fidelity to God as God is revealed, obscurely, in the mystery of each new situation.”
Well, alright then. I didn’t sign up for this at 7 years old! Fear and trembling? Sacrifice and anguish? What if we went out into the Tupelo community with this message? “Hey, how’d you like to experience anguish with lots of tears?” This wouldn’t be the right approach, would it? However, as I look on my journey as a disciple of Christ, I wonder if I’d approached my discipleship with more of this attitude, how many mistakes I could have avoided? How much more of my “SELF” could I have given God? Could I have experienced even more of God’s holiness?
In the past 10 years, I’ve been on a long journey to experiencing and accepting grace. I am saved through GRACE and grace alone. I am redeemed! However, I’m also learning how to work through my salvation…not for acceptance with God, because I’ve already got that, but to work because I just can’t help but respond to what He’s done for me! It’s because I love Him and I want to know Him more intimately. It’s because I want to be obedient to what He has called me to do. He sacrificed it all for me, how can I not do that daily for Him?
Oh, God, I pray that your Spirit would work deeply and gently within us as a church, that as we teach, and show your Grace, that we would also teach others how to serve you passionately and deeply.
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1 comment:
Thank you Jenn for your post. I loved your prayer. I agree with you. It is my honor to work out my salvation. I long to be so much closer to Him and to grow in His GRACE. The more I grow closer the more I want more....the more I realize how yucky and slelfish I am and how much want and need Him. I want everything I do and say to be about Him and His grace.
Thank you Father for Trace....let Your Glory and Your GOODNESS fill us. Lead us by Your Spirit. We have to have YOU.
Tricia
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