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. (Phil. 2:12b-13) I never understood these verses, never liked these verses, and ignored these verses. So of course God told me to teach them at my Bible study! Having been  forced to study them, I figured it out and feel much better now. ;> At first glance these statements seem contradictory! In v. 12, “work out your salvation” sure sounds like it’s up to us. Even worse, we’re supposed to do it with fear and trembling! Yet in v. 13,…

“Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4:9-13) Look at the contrast here. Demas is in love with the present world and so he has left the ministry. However, in the next breath Paul requests physical possessions —…

I’m reading John Eldridge’s Walking with God. He’s making the point that what we want is our “happy little life.” That’s the bargain we make with God. I’ll follow God and He won’t let any bad thing happen to me. Well, this agreement doesn’t work in this world. Part of the reason is because the world is fallen and neither we nor our lives will be perfect until we get to heaven. But the really big reason is that we keep trying to make God a means to an end! An assistant in our quest for a happy life. But happiness comes and goes with the wind. Found a great…