Good morning. So now we
have a good attitude, right? We are to work out our salvation with fear and
trembling. We don't work for our salvation; but once we have it, we are to work
out that salvation. With a new life within us, we should want to do things for
God. And yet we are not the ones who do the work. For it is God who is at work
in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Because of the Holy
Spirit within us, we want to work for God. And not only that – God is the One
doing the work. How easy is that? What's that – got a problem? Keep it to
yourself. Do all things without grumbling or disputing. Ouch! Someone just
stepped on my toes. There's that tongue thing again. If you can accomplish
that, you will prove yourself to be blameless and innocent, children of God
above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom
you appear as lights in the world. It is just the opposite of the people in the
world. They love to blame and complain. Some of them are cantankerous and love
to stir up trouble. When we hold our tongues, people will know that we are
children of God. And we will be lights – drawing them to God as a fire does a
moth to the flame. Father thank You that the reader works for Your good
pleasure. He/she holds his/her tongue and proves himself/herself to be
blameless and innocent. He/she is a shining light to the people of the world.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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