Therefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV
I
don’t believe that I have ever mentioned that I have a younger brother, who, if
you are in any way interested in the game of golf, possesses a handicap so low
as to make ninety-nine percent of golfers turn green with envy. I have had the opportunity to caddy for him
in tournament play as well as play alongside of him and can readily attest that
his skills are quite impressive. These
are even more so if you compare his game to mine, which more often than not
resembles outtakes from any number of comedies about golf.
Of course, as an expression of brotherly love, he has often tried and
failed to help my game improve which I will readily admit is a reflection of my
limitations and not his teaching skills.
One
of the basics of the perfect golf swing, as well as in other sports, would be
what we call the ‘follow-through”. This
describes the motion of the body after impact, in order to not only complete
the transfer of maximum power to the ball to achieve distance, but also direct it to where you want
it to go. This was one of the first
things my brother tried to help me work on with my swing but as you might
expect, after much analysis and instruction, my first attempt to follow- through
in a manner that would reflect my newfound knowledge resulted not in a
beautifully long drive down the center of the fairway but rather a long and
protracted visit to my chiropractor.
Such is my golf game.
As
believers, it could easily be said that our decision to accept the saving grace
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is our personal point of impact. It is the point in time where our lives are
eternally changed and our standing before God the Father and our eternal
destiny is forever guaranteed. We are
given the gift of the Holy Spirit as a source of power and wisdom to help guide
us as we live the new life that the Father has chosen for us according to His
purpose. Yet from this point onward,
much like a golf swing, our follow-through will determine and reflect the
quality of our service to God.
In
the passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, believers are admonished to “work
out”. This is the Greek word "katergazomai", which means “to work out”, or “to do that from which
something results.” When Paul tells the Philippians they need to
"workout" their salvation, he is simply telling them that as
believers, it is time for them to stop relying on his (Paul's) help since he
has left them, and to begin to rely on God's help through the power of the Holy
Spirit to live their lives in such a way as to glorify God. Of course, the
passage begins with the word “therefore” so we know he is referring to the
previous verse where he is talking about being like Jesus.
Why
is this important? Simply because Jesus
chose to be obedient to the Father, even to the point of death. He wasn’t forced to do it but rather did it
out of love. Personally, what really
strikes me as being most important in this passage is the last four words; “for
His good pleasure”. I often hear
the question “how can I please God?”
Paul tells us here it is by being obedient to His commands and working
and striving always to reflect the presence of God in our lives. In order to achieve greatness in any endeavor
you must make the commitment to work hard at it every day. Paul’s advice to the Corinthian believers
explains the level of this sort of commitment.
Do you
not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run
in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize
is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we
for an imperishable crown. 1
Corinthians 9:24-25 NKJV
Do
you look at your life as running a race?
While my golf game leaves a lot to be desired, as a runner in college I
learned quite a bit about just how much planning goes into running a race in
order to win. My approach was
unconventional, and often confusing to my coaches and opponents, but ultimately
successful. I ran to win and I can
assure you that you can never stop training or take a day off if you want to
succeed. When Paul says to live our
lives as if we were running a race, he is telling us that not only are we to
run with the total effort it takes to win, the race is not over until we
receive our crown in heaven.
Not
that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I
may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren,
I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I
press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV
As
believers, we should always be thinking about our follow-through. Are we committed to living in a manner that
pleases our Father in Heaven? Is our
priority living according to the example Jesus set for us? Do we daily remind ourselves that we are to be
a shining example of God’s love in the darkness of this present world? Paul makes it clear that it will be a
struggle that will last as long as we are part of this world, but he also makes
it clear that we have the power to overcome living inside of us.
Do not
be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
NKJV
The
apostle John uses the word “overcome” more than anyone else in describing
believers and the power we have available to us.
I have
written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God
abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. ! John 2:14
NKJV
You are
of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world. 1
John 4:4 NKJV
For
whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has
overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1
John 5:4-5 NKJV
I
may not have what it takes to overcome the deficiencies in my golf swing, but
as a believer I have all the power I need to overcome this world
and follow-through on my desire to live according to the example Jesus set for
me. In so doing I run the race as if to
win, and please my Father in heaven.
What could be more satisfying than that?
How hard are you working on your follow-through?
Keep
watching.
