protect your life work
Written by Aron Strong on November 12, 2008 – 10:18 am -In my time with God this morning, I read this verse in Philippians.
“Hold firmly to the word life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.” Phil 2:16 NLT
What struck me about this verse was that it wasn’t a question whether he was going to follow Jesus Christ. Whether or not he was a believer was not the issue. What he cared about was making sure what he did as he followed Christ mattered.
Who wants their life not to matter at the end? Who wants their life work to be useless? But apparently, simply believing and following Christ is not insurance enough to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Consider your life. How can you protect and ensure what you do really matters? The answer is simple but incredibly difficult to live out.
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” v.5
It’s not enough to recognize Jesus was God come to earth to rescue us from our sin, giving us a new life in relationship with him and fulfilling our destiny as his adopted children. That recognition should penetrate every aspect of our lives. As we pursue him, we become like him. In attitude. In character. In action.
If we fail to do that, we may say we follow him. We may even work hard at doing the things he asked us to do and not doing the things he told us not to. But it won’t matter, because his goal for us has nothing to do with just doing things if our heart isn’t being transformed in the process. This isn’t religion, based on actions to earn salvation. It’s the other way around.
“For God is at work within you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” v.13
Are you a Christ-folower? Protect your life’s work and hold firmly to his call and promises. Live every moment in surrender to him. Take on his attitude of humility. Put others ahead of yourself. Become less when you could be more.
He will give you the desire and the power to do these things, if you let him. He said he would.
Posted in personal, the church |
