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.

Pages: 224-240

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

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, moving on to Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter fourteen - God Forbid That We Despise His Natural Gifts.  Here Piper seeks to unpack the paradox he refers to in the title of the chapter - his "aim...is to encourage a deep dependence on God and the fullest use of your natural powers in the supernatural act of reading the Bible."

Piper starts by stating that "[w]ithout God's supernatural intervention, we would have no motivation to read the Scriptures in the hope of treasuring Christ above all things (1 Kings 8:58, Psalm 119:36)." It is God who grants us the heart and eyes to see His glory. The critical point here is found in Philippians 2:12-13 as Piper writes that we "work out" or effect our salvation because God is already at work in us through a saving relationship.  He continues that this salvation is the..."specific daily deliverance from the soul-destroying works of the flesh (1 Peter 2:11)-things like anger and self-pity and greed and lust." Proverbs 2:1-7 is also used to help us better understand how God works in us. "We do the [reading and] thinking-the rigorous effort to read with understanding; God creates the miracle of supernatural light in processes of our thought."

God gives us the will to read and see His glory and we do the act of reading - and ultimately the seeing and savoring of His glory...through which we are transformed day by day.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and I know You are at work in me and giving me the will to read and the eyes and heart to understand Your Word - thank You Jesus!  Amazing and I am truly grateful!  Yet I am undeserving.  My sin...of many kinds...continues.  Please forgive me.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.