Resuming Workout 2

Tuesday 5/28/2013 6:16 AM

Yesterday I wrote about my Nike app on my phone that kept malfunctioning saying “resuming workout”.  Today it started doing the same thing so I turned my phone off and restarted it.  That seemed to do the trick and it worked normally after that.

As I ran this morning I thought about working out and the verse about working out one’s salvation came to mind.  When I got back I looked it up and found it was Philippians 2:12.  My devotional theme for the week is the mind of Christ and as I looked at my assigned passage for today I discovered it was Philippians 2:1-11, the famous passage about having the same mind of Christ, that of an obedient servant who considers others better than himself.  That passage is followed immediately by verses 12 and 13, “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, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”  These verses seem to imply that God works his salvation into me, causing me to want what he wants and informing me of the actions he desires for the building up of his kingdom.  Then I need to work that salvation out by following the advice of the next few verses, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.”

If I am to be effective in bringing about the kingdom of God I need to work out what God works in by the power of his Spirit.  My daily motto as I begin each day should be, “Resuming workout.”