Without grumbling

https://odb.org/2023/11/22/shining-stars-2

In Philippians 2:12-16, Paul teaches about two elements. One is that we need to continue working out our salvation in fear and trembling. We already know by now that salvation is not only saying the sinner’s prayer, and we are set for life for eternity. Although we can not work for our salvation as it is by the grace of God that we are saved, we need to work out our salvation. We need to allow God to work in us to fulfil His good purpose in us. Salvation is not about getting that train ticket to heaven but about getting that ticket into the Kingdom of God where we each have our respective roles already carved out for us. The angels guarding the entrance will let us in because we hold the ticket with Christ’s name written on it. Admission, however, is not like into an amusement park to play and enjoy the rides but more akin to be staff or crew. There is much to be done in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The second thing that Paul teaches is that we should do everything without grumbling or arguing. It’s like we know this is our job and we just do it. Like my elder son, who works his daytime job and yet runs a small business – there is much work to be done to take orders, buy and receive stocks, sort and then pack and deliver the orders to customers. There is no time to grumble or complain as the work needs to be done to get the business moving. Take your hands off the wheel, and the cycle may be broken, and there may be more problems to solve later on. Yet he also needs to sort out all the issues coming his way in his day job. Or if you are in sales, you need to bring in the business. If not, the factory will be idle or like my company providing professional services, many specialised resources will be on the bench doing nothing. The company can not go on like that as every unbilled resource is a cost, which will bleed the P&L. Likewise, the factory can not be idle as there are overheads and staff costs to pay.

I think we always need to remember and be reminded that there are two judgments at the end of time. The Great White Throne Judgment of God and the Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema Judgment). The former is for unbelievers, while the latter is for those who have accepted Christ into their lives. As Paul teaches in Philippians 2, we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling to achieve God’s purpose for us and to do everything without grumbling or arguing so that we will be blameless, particularly when we face Christ in the Bema Judgement. What will we say if we are asked to give an account for our lives? Will we say that we started with fire, but the flame died down a few years later and remained dead for many years? Or will we say that we have been striving for God all these years and have given Him our best until our dying breadth? Did we do everything without grumbling or arguing? Are we blameless before Him? Was His death for us justified? Are we worthy of our names in the Book of Life?