Philippians 2:12-13

Philippians 2:12-13
12b work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

2 Corinthians 10:12
12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

For over a year our pastor has been pleading with us to come up higher. Every evangelist that has come through has told us that our church is destined for great revival and great impact in our area. We have seen modest growth, but not the explosion we feel God wants to pour out.

Why? I feel like one of the answers is submission. We compare ourselves among ourselves. Instead of aspiring to what God wants from us, we look to our neighbor. Does he "get away" with a behavior that may be less than Godly? Well, then it should be OK for me too. Instead of seeing how closely we can walk with God, we see how close we can get to the world and still be "Godly".

I challenge each of us to ask God what He would have us do to get closer to Him. Then take that answer to heart. If He tells you to pray 3 times a day when your spouse is only praying once, pray 3 times a day. If he tells you that you spend too much time watching football, don't worry about the fact that you can list 3 men who spend more time than you do. If He wants your wardrobe to be more conservative than those around you don't judge them by your standards. Ask God to help you with your salvation, not your spouses, your classmates or coworkers. While it is our duty to lead as many people to God as we can, ultimately, the only relationship that will matter is the one you have.

In His service for His glory,

Deborah