Working God’s Field (4)

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for Hisgood pleasure. Philippians 2.12, 13

Our primary work
The stewardship of work entrusted to us as co-laborers with the Lord in the field of the world begins in our own souls. God has given us the gift of salvation, but receiving this glorious gift is only the beginning of what it means to know Him. Much remains in this life to be unpacked of our salvation, so that we might increase in Jesus and thus fulfill our callings in life.

Solomon’s advice to his son is still the part of wisdom today (Prov. 4.20-27):

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.

Solomon insists that a life rightly lived depends on a soul dutifully nurtured. Working the Lord’s field requires good stewardship of the Word of God (v. 20), learning, keeping, and cherishing it in our mind, that we might gain the mind of Christ in all things. To be equipped, ready, and zealous for good works, we must likewise guard our heart (vv. 21-23), making sure we desire and cherish only what is pleasing to the Lord. Only if we allow the Word of God to shape our mind and heart will our conscience lead us to make walking in God’s path the highest priority of our lives.

This work of guarding and nurturing our soul is the work of sanctification, and it is the primary work which each believer must embrace and pursue if we hope to work the Lord’s field for a harvest of glory.

Growing in the Lord
Growing in the Lord Jesus is not an option for the follower of Christ. Peter commands it (2 Pet. 3.18). Paul chided the Corinthians because they were not growing (1 Cor. 3.1-3), and the writer of Hebrews stung his readers with the charge that they were mere infants when, in fact, they should already be teaching others (Heb. 4.12-14).

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ then you need to be growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, working out your salvation in fear and trembling. Paul is exactly right in saying that we have to work at this salvation, because it doesn’t come automatically or easily. The law of sin within us operates to keep us distracted from and indifferent to growing in the Lord (Rom. 7.21-23). The world is filled with temptations and distractions to gobble up our interest, time, and strength (Jms. 4.4). And the devil himself is working to lead us to find “better” things to do with our time than to work at our salvation (Eph. 6.10-20).

But work at our salvation we must, or else admit to the Lord and one another that we are rebellious, disobedient children. As we work out our salvation, we become fitted in words and deeds for all the other work God has called us to in our part of the field of the world.

Means to growth
God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, has provided all the means we need to work out our salvation: The Word of God, prayer, worship, the fellowship of other believers, good books and courses taught by competent writers and instructors. He has even given us His Spirit to dwell within us, Who has exceedingly abundant power to bring to bear on the task of helping us to grow in the Lord (Eph. 3.20).

But we must take up the work of growing in the Lord – the work of sanctification – if we would know real progress in Him. We need to set and guard the time necessary for the practice of spiritual disciplines, taking some of our time back from other diversions, and even from sleep, so that we can read and meditate in God’s Word and come before Him in prayer.

We need to learn how to study our Bibles and how to improve our prayer lives, and then to work consistently at each of these disciplines. We must work at having the kind of Christian friends who will sharpen us, like iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27.17). And we must work at repenting from all known sin, taking up the life of holiness, and doing good works of love for others (2 Cor. 7.1; Eph. 2.8-10).

This much is certain: we will not be able to do any of our other work as unto the Lord unless we are daily working to improve in our walk with Him. This makes the work of sanctification supremely important. The harder and more conscientious we are about working out our salvation, the more effective we will be at seeing all our work bring honor and glory to the Lord (Jn. 17.4).

For reflection
1.  Paul says we must work out our salvation, not for it. What’s the difference?

2.  The soul is comprised of heart (affections), mind (thoughts), and conscience (priorities and will), each overlapping and interacting with one another continuously. Why is it important to give attention to each of these in working out our salvation? What does that entail?

3.  What is your present approach to working out your salvation? Can you see any areas where you need to improve?

Next steps – Transformation: Identify one way that you might improve the work of sanctification in your life, and begin adding that to your work regimen right away.

T. M. Moore

For a more developed view of the Kingdom, and of the Gospel of the Kingdom, order a copy of our book The Kingdom Turn (click here) or The Gospel of the Kingdom (click here). You can download a free PDF of Vocational Disciplines, a complement to this week’s study (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.