It works if you work it

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
-Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

Spiritual growth only happens as we cooperate with God. He does the saving and he does the maturing, but I have to get up. We know that we are not saved or made whole through our works, but we can not be saved without responding to God. We also can not grow in God without getting up.

To get up means to do something. Doing something takes faith. Getting up does not bring the growth in God, but we have to get up to go towards something that God might use.

God works in us and does the healing and maturing, but we work it out. We don't figure it out. God has to have us as his partner to get the work done. We have to do something but we are not saving ourselves.

Comments