20th June 2025

20th June 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 2:12-13)


Message (Alan Burke)


Had your breakfast yet? What did you have? You could leave a wee comment and we can see the variety of the breakfasts that have been ate by the readers of this devotion, but what about breakfast on Tuesday 15th of April earlier this year? That might be an easy answer because you’re one of those people that has the same thing for breakfast every day. Or what about for your dinner on Thursday 13th February? You might have a set weekly meal plan and know what you had for your dinner on the 13th February, but for most of us unless we were too tight to take the better half out on the Friday 14th February you’ve probably no idea just like myself. We had though on Wednesday how we were are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, ie we are to grow in our knowledge and love of God, our sanctification as we grow in our holiness, Christlikeness. 


The Lord has given us aids to help us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, he has given us tools to help us and it is the ordinary means of grace which God has given us whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation (WSC88). God has given us the toolbox we need to help us to strengthen our walk with the Lord, the word read but especially preached, sacraments and prayer aren’t optional, they are not sexy, there is no razzmatazz and yet they are the means that God has given to us to build us in the faith. Through them the Lord works within us strengthening our wills. 


We have been given the tools to help us, it involves us making an effort, we don’t just put the feet up we have to put the effort in, and yet at the same time we can be confident that just as Paul was confident that the Lord who began that good work, would bring it to completion in the church in Philippi (1:6), that he would also act according to his good purpose (2:13) and it is the same for us. What Paul says here gives us assurance, we shouldn’t be filled with fear that we will fall away, that we will fail to reach the finishing line because that we have not done enough, or that we will fall away, second guessing ourselves, can I do enough, will I keep going. But it is not about us, our works, endeavours, show our who we are yet it is about what God has done for us and is doing in us according to his good purpose. 


While we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling we know that in all that we do that this is God’s work within us. It is not that our efforts produce salvation but that God’s work within us leads to us living lives in response. It is as God works we work as a result, as God works within us that is seen in our obedience, for we have incentive in our lives to live this way because of what God has done for us because Christ Jesus left the realms of Glory, to live and die for our salvation. The outworking of what Christ has done is seen in obedience in our lives, in sanctification as we grow in holiness and these are the fruit of God’s work within us. We will continue to struggle with sin throughout our lives, this process isn’t complete in this life but when we enter the next. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q8 How doth God execute his decrees?
A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.
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