Live Out Your Salvation

12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

I must continue to work out, or live out, or example with my life, my salvation which was freely given and is now my inheritance. I cannot just accept it and say, “thank you,” and move on with my life or back to my old ways of being. It is now my responsibility to live as I have been called to live, the child of the King, the servant of the one whom I have placed over my life as Lord and Savior, the one who redeemed me from the ash heap of humanity.

What does this mean, to “work out?” In health and fitness a workout is an exercise routine, done periodically to keep the body fit and able. It may be a variety of exercises focused on one part of the body at a time, and it is not the same exercise done over and over. Various parts of me need to be stretched and stressed in order to grow.

There is self-discipline required to keep working out and to push a little harder to advance the level of fitness. It is partially mental, I have to be strong of mind in order to continue working out and I have to overcome the temptation to stop. I also have to be able to get back into my workout regimen when there is an interruption that breaks my rhythm.

So, as I work out my salvation I am growing my relationship with Christ by exercising – stretching and stressing – each part of me that needs to grow in Christ. My attitudes, my service, my thought life, my knowledge, my conversations, my meditation, my understanding, my gifts. All need a work out so that they can be fit and available and able to do what God wants them to do.

Fear and trembling comes partially from simply understanding that God is almighty and I am not. There is the realization of an awesome fact that I am able to have a relationship with the almighty God because of the gift of His Son, and my acceptance of that gift, resulting in salvation. My life is also opposed because I am a servant of the most high God. The enemy will try to attack me. He will try to exploit my weaknesses. He will attempt to get at me and tempt me and draw me away into his trap. Because of that I need to work out, to stay fit and in shape so that I am not only available and ready, but so that I am strong in the Lord and able to resist temptations.