Work Out Your Own Salvation

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV).

We want things handed to us with little effort. We want it easy, but hardly anything that we can call our own comes easy. 

There will always be things in life that challenge what we believe. These circumstances often are outside our own control, but we do control how we react. 

The older I've become, the more I realize the importance of being slow to react. I'm not saying I've learned exactly how to not overreact, but I know now how important it is to be slower in reacting to what people say and do to me, or what I think they're saying and doing to me. I still frustrate myself by overreacting. And each and every time I hope and pray that I've learned the important lesson.

Everything We Say And Do Affects Others

Most of us want freedom from consequences; but it's never going to happen.

We may think we're islands in a vast ocean with very little connecting us to other islands; but it's a lie.

Whenever we do or say something (including on a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever other digital social media there is) — other people are affected. Now, if we would take the time and be courteous to THINK how what we say or do will affect others, then everything will be better.

Learning From Others' Mistakes

A young man in the Atlanta metro died tragically while running away from police. He was a thief and had been in trouble with the law over the years. What made this young man stand out in the media was that he had received, after much debate, a new heart. The primary objection to his receiving the heart transplant was his criminal record. But it was decided to do the life-saving — and hopefully life-changing — procedure.

Alas, he didn’t change his ways … at all.

Yes, this is a tragic tale, but we can all learn from it. How many of us are given a second chance in life and simply blow it? We may not make headline news when we fail, but someone somewhere will know what we did.

Ultimately, my point is that God’s grace gives us a second chance (Titus 2:11-14). But how many of us go back to the same sins? And maybe we don’t just go back to them, but we go back with a fervency we didn’t expect.

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:19-22)

We don't have to make all the mistakes, If we're wise, then we will learn from others' mistakes and failures.