Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

 

According to the Apostle Paul, we are to "work out" or live out the life of Christ within us. He is not saying that we must work for our salvation, as we play no role in it. Rather, we are to willingly continue living out the truth and reality of Christ's finished work on the Cross. The power of God, embodied by the Holy Spirit, works in and through us to will and do God's good pleasure.

God's good pleasure is for us to become like His Son, who pleases the Father in everything. Pleasing God is something we should all desire and want to do, but we cannot do it alone. That desire is God's design for us, while the will to act is God's action in us. When we allow God to transform us through His Holy Spirit, the Christian life becomes a “supernatural-natural” experience of Christ living and manifesting through us.

When you focus on Christ, your focus becomes your priority, and your priority is where Christ wants you to grow and bear fruit in love. Walking in the light of this truth will free you from the burden of wondering if you are pleasing God enough. This is because asking such a question negates God's grace working in your life and ministry.

We cannot help but be filled with awe and wonder as Christ fills us with all of Himself. As we learn to walk with Christ every day, prayer, worship, and service becomes lighter because we are continually responding to His perfect love. Instead of feeling burnt out and drained, we experience God's good pleasure in everything we do. There will be such a sense of contentment and delight because we are abiding and resting in Christ's abundant life.