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Dear One,
He had been sitting
motionless at the kitchen table for about fifteen minutes.
I could see his eyes darting back and forth across the numbers on
the page of his math book. His
pencil lay on the table next to a blank piece of paper.
I walked through the room and placed my hands on his shoulders.
“Sweetheart, is this a tough section of your math homework?”
I asked. He didn’t look
up at me but nodded his head up and down.
“Do you want for me to sit with you so that we can go through
the section together?” His
head nodded up and down again. “Taylor?
Are you okay, son?” He
turned his head to look up at me and I could see that his eyes were full
of frustration and hopelessness. “I
hate math,” he said. “It’s
so hard for me to understand. I
read the problem and then go to the back of the book to see the answer
and I can’t figure out how they got the answer.”
I’m
just like any other mother – I hate to see my kids upset –
especially when it’s over something that’s frustrating.
Reasoning and working through something that hasn’t yet made
sense is hard. It’s
difficult not to just give up and pretend that you understand but it’s
even tougher to hang in there until a light begins to dawn.
It’s those moments in time when the “why” and “how” of
the “answer” can drive a person absolutely mad.
And that includes a fourteen-year-old boy dealing with an elusive
math problem.
“Taylor, I have an
idea,” I suggested. “Why
don’t we go back to the chapter, re-read the section, look at the
examples and see if we can work it out together?”
A smile began to cross his lips.
“Son, math wasn’t my strongest subject either but I’ll work
through it with you until we both understand how they got the answer.”
I guess my last comment hit close to home because he jumped up
and put those strong fourteen-year-old arms around me in a big hug.
We sat down and began
to work out the problem. There were some frustrating moments as we read
the problem over and over again, trying to scrutinize and analyze each
section. But things really
began to click as we broke the problem down even further; number by
number and symbol by symbol. It was then that the answer became clear.
Taylor began to smile that smile that meant only one thing –
“I get it!”
“Working through”
a seemingly difficult problem can be frustrating. Whether it’s a math
problem, a pistachio soufflé recipe, or directions to a downtown
restaurant; there are some things that just don’t make sense unless
you take them number by number, ingredient by ingredient or street by
street. And even then there’s no guarantee.
But when I think
about the process of working through any of those examples, I can’t
help but think about the verse of scripture in Philippians that talks
about working out our salvation. To
be quite honest, it had always bothered me that the word “work”
seemed to be a part of my salvation.
Why did it bother me? Well,
I know that I can’t earn or keep anything that Christ has done on my
behalf, which includes my salvation.
Salvation is a favor, a gift and because that is true, I can’t
“buy” it through my efforts. How can I possibly “buy” something that has already been
purchased on my behalf by Christ? I
can’t . . . and neither can you.
“Now to the one
who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due.
But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.”
Romans 4:4-5
So, what do we do
with Philippians 2:12? What
is the Word of God telling you and me?
Do we need to pitch in where the cross left off?
Is it up to you and me to not only complete the unfinished work
of Jesus Christ but to maintain it as well?
That would be absolutely preposterous!
Philippians 2:12b
clearly says this, “Work out your salvation with fear and
trembling.” But what does
that mean? Well, I believe
that Paul is exhorting us to work through, to work out our salvation
just like Taylor and I worked through his math problem.
Piece by piece, number by number, verse by verse so that we can
understand more and more about our salvation.
Don’t you want to know more about the depth and height of this
wonderful gift that we have been given?
Doesn’t the “inner wo-man” in you want to rest in what
Christ has already accomplished on your behalf?
Then, take heart, dear one.
We have the privilege of a lifetime of working out our
understanding of our salvation – it’s that enormous!
Let me explain a bit
further about “working out”. Don’t
worry; it doesn’t include heavy weights or a leotard!
Let’s take these two verses from Ephesians:
“But God, being
rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even
when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with
Christ.”
When you first read
those verses of scripture, you can tell that they’re full of Good
News. But as you work out
the meaning of each word and each phrase you begin to see some
tremendous truths about your salvation.
1)
God is the One in charge and He does all things.
2)
He is rich in mercy because He’s God.
3)
He has great love for you even though you were dead in sin.
4)
He chose to make you alive because He’s rich in mercy and love.
5)
He accomplished all of these things through the cross of
Jesus Christ.
Has your
understanding of your salvation just broadened?
Are you more confident in what He has done on your behalf in
Christ? Absolutely!
You were just working out your understanding of what your
salvation means, what it includes, how it benefits you and why you can
rest in it. And as if that isn’t enough, all this “working out” is
really done by the Holy Spirit in you!
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
But hold on.
Let’s not forget that “fear and trembling” business.
I’ve addressed this before in another teaching* but as a
reminder, the phrase “fear and
trembling” is defined as “the anxiety of a person who distrusts in
his or her ability to completely meet all requirements.”
And, isn’t that exactly how you’d feel if you knew that (1)
it was up to you to keep your salvation in place, (2) it was up to you
to make yourself understand every detail of your salvation, or (3) it
was up to you to help finish or maintain the cross of Christ?
I don’t know about you but if I were responsible for just one
of those – I would be in big trouble!
I would be completely without hope and totally frustrated . .
.much like Taylor with his math problem.
He
was certainly frustrated when his understanding of the math problem and
the answer didn’t line up. Poor
kid. He knew the answer; he
just couldn’t work out how to get there.
And everyone knows that math equations and math answers have to
equal. But it’s funny
when you think about it. No
matter how much we work out our understanding of our salvation, it will
never balance. Unlike math,
it will never equal. How
could it? It’s God alone Who has done it all in Christ!
“Are
you so foolish, after beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to
attain your goal by human effort?”
Galatians 3:3
I
love you,
Marcy
*
http://www.gospelfortoday.org/mteachings/bigfuss.htm
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