Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

       "God" is at work in us! We can't just sit on our laurels and do nothing. We are to WORK OUT of us what God has Put In....

Philippians 2:12 ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

When God saved us He put us IN Christ! Outside of Christ we can do nothing and we are nothing. Ever since our being placed IN Christ, God; through the cross, has been at work IN US that we may switch from doing our will to His, and stop our striving towards things that please us, but seek instead to do the things that please Him. Sometimes this may mean suffering, or losing everything if it be that through this we acknowledge and gain doing God's will. God knows how much we can handle....

Romans 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

It is only as one comes to realize how awesome and how holy God is that one gets serious with his salvation and is no longer a baby but becomes a man. He sets aside the unimportant things of life and takes up the important things. "God" doesn't do this for him -- rather he must do it for himself -- he must Work Out publicly what God has already put in him privately! Out of his heart must come virtue, knowledge of the holy, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly love and love....

2 Peter 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The only way to Work Out our salvation is to be sanctified in holiness through the truth of His word!

Titus 3:5-6 ... he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

By the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit! This is how we become "Sanctified" -- this is what happens when we truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ -- this is what our being born again by the word of God does -- the Spirit sanctifies us to wanting more of Him, by our desire to obey His words....

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth!!

THY WORD IS TRUTH! The desire to obey ALL of His words (as He alone speaks them) must be there! The person who has been sancified through the truth is the person who has been signed, sealed and delivered. Their old life: who they were, how they used to think, etc., is over, for the New has come! This is the Truth that ends all other truth's. This is the Truth that has you (IF you love Him) following Him through the continuation of keeping and obeying His words -- ALL of them!

1 John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

This is what we need to see and yield to:

John 15:7 *IF* ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Note that there are two kinds of "abiding in" or "remaining in" that are being addressed here:

#1. Is to abide in or remain in Him! (Apart from our attachment to the Vine of Life [to Jesus Christ] we can do nothing!)

#2. Is to have His words abiding in or remaining in us! (His words are Spirit and they are Life!)

"IF"!!! All of my love for Him and obedience to Him hinges on that"IF" word. Talk is cheap! Jesus says: "IF YOU love Me then abide in me"! (This is addressed to YOU living IN Christ!) "and when you do then "MY WORDS will abide in you"! (This is addressed to HIS WORDS living in you!)

John 15:9-10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. *IF* ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Again we see that in order to abide in His love then our love must be worked out in life and it all hinges on the "IF" word of Christ --- "IF ye keep My commandments"!

1 John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

In the day we will have Grown Up unto God....

John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Because in that day we will work out what God has worked in us and start living Scriptures as Ephesians 3:18-20....

Ephesians 3:18-20 May you be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Once "I" (individually speaking) has come to see the true riches and glory that are given me in Christ in that day, and at that time, then "FOR ME" it's all over, because "I" have been put to death with Christ. In that day it will be all over for me!

Romans 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

The day that I understand that my Old Man has been dealt with via the cross, is the day when all I need is to reckon it so. The reason that I will ask for nothing in that day is because the "New me" will see that God has placed ALL things (my new life) in Christ, and (my old life) under Christ. It's all: "CHRIST"! Therefore "I" too (the Old me) came and placed myself under His feet... forever!

Ephesians 1:17-18 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Our love to Him hinges upon whether we love Him enough to do as He says (as God wills). Simple!

Matthew 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

To the person who has, even more is given and required! He must work out what God has put in. This "working out" is what keeps the person humbled.

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

Jesus says, "The tree is known by his fruit!" A good tree is known by good fruit and a bad tree by bad fruit. Those who have excercized their discernment (Hebrews 5:14) are capable of distinguishing the fruit in which to warn others of and avoid....

Matthew 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

They speak of a "different Christ". It's because they have no abiding love for His words, and because they don't receive ALL of His words that they are and become unteachable....

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Simply put, doing the Father's will is to come and surrender our life before Jesus' feet, laying prostrate before Him, and acknowledging Him as our Savior and King. Until each one of us can say and mean....

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Until we each, personally come before the feet of the Lord and lay ourselves down under them (as the Spirit leads), this flesh of ours will NEVER give up its rights or its sovereignty or its wounds and hurts that we feel is ours to keep and rule over forever. Having this kind of "Christ" is no different than the way the world thinks and believes!

Our NOT wanting to hear ALL that God says because we don't believe ALL that He says; "no matter the reason", is NOT a walk keeping within the straight and narrow confines of His words. Instead it is a broad-walk in deception by THINKING/BELIEVING that we are somehow obeying His will and doing His good pleasure and walking in His truth. When all along he has missed walking in it by a mile. The truth is that such people do not want to hear the full counsel of God as He alone has said it. (Again: It all hinges on the *IF* word!)

3 John 1:3-4 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

May God bless you with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

Biff & Suzanne