“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭NLT

I want he best for you. I really do. I want you to enjoy a fulfilling and satisfying life. I want you to know the joy of living whole-heartedly for Jesus and the deep sense of destiny and purpose that grows out of that commitment. That’s what I want for you, but I also know that there are a multitude of distractions. A cacophony of voices overwhelming you every morning, noon and night. Voices telling you that fulfillment and satisfaction come through a perfect life and offering you all kinds of ways to make your life perfect. Buy more stuff. Fix your looks. Find a new relationship because the current one will take too much effort to improve. Make more money. Etc. Etc. 

Right now, when life is beginning to return to a somewhat normal pace and familiar activities are beginning to resume, it’s a good time to evaluate what you want your life to be like going forward. In many ways you get to start fresh. Sure, a lot of things continued during lockdown, but a lot of things didn’t. What do you want to bring forward with you post-COVID and what do you want to stay back in the days before 2020? Now is a good time to evaluate how you want to live for what matters and let go of what doesn’t. Who do you want to be in the post-pandemic future?

So, how to do that? How do you evaluate who you want to be? Paul gave his Philippian friends some advice on how to live for what matters and let go of what doesn’t. He gave them some examples to follow. Here is how he concludes the part of his letter on following the ultimate example of living for what matters and letting go of what doesn't: Jesus. 

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭NLT

Let’s break it down. 

Follow my instructions. While he was in person with the Philippians, and now in this letter to his friends, Paul set forth Jesus as the example to be followed for living for what matters. The ultimate example. He sums up what following his instructions will result in with this statement near the beginning of his letter: 

“May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬  

Following his instructions will show up in the righteous character that Christ produces in their lives. He tells them that following his instructions will look like “righteous character.”

Have you ever gone through something and then been surprised by how you responded? At the end of the whole ordeal, you say to yourself, “That was so different from the way I would have handled it in the past!” That happened to me recently in a daylong pursuit of contact with a doctor’s office so that I could receive the care that I needed. After all the frustration, I had to step back and recognize that at an earlier point in my life I would not have been as persistent or assertive (graciously!). I would have had a total meltdown. But not this time. To me that is the evidence that Christ has been producing righteous character in me. Strength and graciousness under pressure, definitely not my default character! But Christ working in me has produced fruit and I am grateful. 

Work  hard. The truth is that very little comes easily, right? We like to think, consciously or unconsciously, that everything should just happen with little exertion on our part, but it doesn’t. Paul acknowledges to his friends that following Jesus is not easy. Let’s say that together: Following Jesus is not easy. That’s truth, Dear Friend. It takes effort to keep making choices that please God. Sinning is the only thing that comes easy. What is sin? Here’s a simple definition: Anything that puts me first and ignores God and others. That comes really easy, doesn’t it? If you think that you always put others first, when was the last time you felt overlooked because someone did’t appreciate what you did for them? If it was really about them and not about you, why would it matter? Just saying! I have been there, my friend, so let’s just admit together that sin and selfishness is our default without Christ and it takes effort to overcome it. It’s a fact that showing the results of our salvation takes work. It takes effort. It takes choices. Lots of choices. Everyday. So, there it is. Work hard to show the results of your salvation. 

How are you doing with your everyday choices? There are so many! Let’s bring it down to one big choice that will guide all the others. What’s the choice? Obey God. 

Obey God. Paul points them, and us, back to obeying God. The first and most important choice that you and I make every day is the choice to obey God. That starts with knowing what God says so that we can do it. How are you doing at learning God’s Word and His commands? Living a life for God is only possible when we take the time to know what He says. When we know what He says we know what He wants and have guidance for making decisions that honor Him when the choices are not as clear. 

How about making a determination going forward to start every day with at least 10 minutes in the Bible? That may not sound like a lot, but it will make a difference. 10 minutes. Then ask God to help you remember it and think about it during the day so that you can do it. 

Obeying starts with knowing what to obey. Our sound byte culture is used to pulling out what we most want to hear. Have you read whole books of the Bible or just a lot of pieces? The pieces that you like most? If you haven’t been systematic in your Bible reading, that’s a good start for getting to know what to obey. Start with the New Testament. Start with the Gospels. Watch for the many commands and instructions that Jesus gave to His first followers. Look at the example of obedience that He set for them. His obedience cost Him everything. But Jesus thought it was worth everything to obey God, the Father. What about you?

Obeying God to the point of it costing you everything is a REALLY tall order, isn’t it? But, take heart. Here is what makes it possible. 

Rely on God’s work within you. Paul tells his friends to work hard to follow Jesus’ example with one very important detail to remember: God is the one who is doing the work. He is the one who empowers and enables. Following the example of Christ, living for what matters and letting go of what doesn’t, does not originate within ourselves and is not something we have the power to do on our own. The only way to be the kind of person that Paul is telling the Philippians to be is to rely on God’s work for the want-to and the power to do what pleases God. 

Being the kind of person who lives for what matters, a life that follows Christ’s example and pleases God above all, is not possible without the power of God working in you. If you want to be that kind of person, let His power give you the want-to and the power to live in a way that follows the example of Christ. 

My doctor dilemma may not seem like a very spiritual example to you, but think of this: My body is not my own. It belongs to God. In order to steward it well, I needed to get in touch with the doctor’s office (which was a major problem that day!), and demonstrate godly character in the midst of a frustrating and difficult situation. God worked in me, not only to want to pursue the contact, but to speak to people in a way that demonstrates “the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ“ God gave me the want-to and the power to be bold, persistent and gracious in pursing what was needed. Not possible for me without Him! Really!

Dear Friend, you want to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. I know you do! And there are times when it can be hard to know how to do that. But I want to encourage you that a fulfilling and satisfying life that honors God is possible when you let God give you the want-to and the power to do what pleases Him. 

2020 is over. A new season is opening for all of us. What do you want your life to look like in the post-pandemic future? Who do you want to be? Choose to do life with and for Jesus. That’s the path to becoming a person who lives a fulfilling and satisfying life. Here’s a prayer to express that daily choice: “Lord, help me to do this day with You. I need You to walk with me through it so that I can make choices that honor You. Amen” 

Key thought: Living for what matters and letting go of what doesn’t requires God’s power. 

A Scripture to consider: “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A YES challenge: When do you spend time in God’s Word? Make a determination to spend at least 10 minutes a day. Choose a time and put it in your calendar, then keep your appointment with God. 

Prayer:  Lord, I want my life to show the results of my salvation. I want to be the kind of person who demonstrates by righteous character that You make a difference in my life, in how I handle situations and how I respond to people. I will follow your instructions and work hard, but I know that I can not do this well unless You do the work in me. Do Your work in me so that I want to and will do what pleases You. I want to be that kind of person in the post-pandemic future. Amen.