An elderly couple decided that they should walk two miles a day to stay in shape.
They chose to walk a mile out on a lonely country road, so they would have no choice but to walk back.
At the one-mile mark on their first venture, the man asked his wife, “Do you think you can make it back all right, or are you too tired?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m not tired. I can make it fine.”
“Good,” he replied. “I’ll wait here. You go back, get the car and come get me.”
No matter what age, we should all have a good workout to keep in shape physically.
In Philippians 2:12-13, we are told to have a good spiritual workout.
It says:
“work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Notice it says to “work out your salvation.”
Paul did not say work for your salvation.
Our salvation is a gift from God received by faith alone in Christ alone.
Paul here is not talking about our initial salvation, but our progressive salvation, or what we call spiritual growth in Christ.
We as believers need a good work out.
We “work out” our salvation by learning the truth of God’s Word, through:
- intimate fellowship with Christ,
- moment-by-moment yielding to the Holy Spirit’s power,
- exercising our spiritual gifts,
- through fellowship with other believers,
- and coming under the authority of the leadership in our local church.
This good workout is not without opposition, since we battle the world, the power of sin working through our flesh, and the devil and his host.
We must always remember that we are weak and totally dependent on Christ for our growth.
This awareness will produce the attitude of “fear and trembling” that Paul advocates.
The idea is realizing the awesomeness of Christ empowering our growth and a total distrust in our flesh.
This is seen in verse 13 and the Amplified Bible brings it out well:
“[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”
The Holy Spirit works through our spirit and motivates us in our soul to choose to obey His Word and provides all the power we need to live it out.
Richard Knecht of Prospect, Oregon, set out to shatter the existing world sit-up record.
Up to that point, a Marine Corps captain had held the record, with an amazing 17,007.
Knecht was determined to capture the title for his family team, which toured the nation demonstrating the utmost in physical fitness.
He began the grueling attempt in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and 11 hours and 14 minutes later had shattered the record with 25,222 sit-ups.
How many years of training had gone into preparing for this Herculean feat?
Not as many as you might think.
When he set the record, Richard Knecht was 8 years old.
Talk about a good workout!
May we have an even better workout spiritually!
Blessings!
Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries