PHILIPPIANS 2:12-15 – 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. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THERE ARE NO INTERRUPTIONS. Is today’s theme how we respond in our lives when things don’t go as planned? Do we see the hand of God in everything unfolding in our daily lives? Even when out of the blue our nicely crafted schedule gets drastically changed? Or do we display irritation, maybe even complain, or worse get angry and let loose speech unbecoming a Christian when God’s sovereignty goes contrary to our plans? This is a very important issue and ties in nicely to the scripture of today.
Christians must maintain a daily view of what happens in their lives in two directions. First, there are no such things as interruptions, especially when it comes to people. When we view unplanned events in our lives as interruptions, it reveals we are seeing horizontally and that never produces spiritual fruit. In fact, that is how unbelievers live. Interruptions are divine appointments from God designed to teach us about His sovereignty and develop within us the ability to interpret all of life vertically or spiritually.
The second view of life we must take as Christians is to see all of life, every encounter, event, and interruption as God at work in us for His good pleasure and purposes. In having this view we will be enabled to do what the Apostle Paul commands of us in today’s scripture – work out our salvation in fear and trembling. And for this to take hold in our lives, there has to be an understanding of this work God is doing in our lives.
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he gives us what is behind the working out of our salvation both from our perspective and God’s. There is one purpose. His purposeful work is to make us like the Lord Jesus. Ponder these truths in the eighth chapter of Romans – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (Romans 8:28-30).
The words “all things” include the truth there are no such things as interruptions! They are the working out of our salvation under the working out of God’s sovereignty in our lives.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to see all of life is an unfolding of Your plan for me in every event, encounter, relationship.”
QUOTE: “There are no interruptions in life. There are divine appointments that are designed to spiritually mature us.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim