Clay in the Hands

Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about owning our own faith and the importance of wrestling with Jesus’ teachings for ourselves and not just taking what we are told at face value.  Today I want to take that thought to the next level.

Once we own our own faith – truly internalizing the truth of Jesus’ teachings – then that faith will begin to affect the way we live.  What then begins to happen is that our faith begins to own us, more accurately, the One in whom our faith is placed begins to own us.

I believe this is what Paul meant when he was addressing the believers in the church at Philippi when he said, “continue to work out your salvation.”  You can read it here.  It sounds strange to say that we should “work out” our own salvation.  But Paul brings clarity in the next verse when he says that God “works in you . . . according to His good purpose.”

At the risk of seeming like a simple play on words, I want you to vividly see the distinction between Owning Your Own Faith and Your Faith Owning You.  Owning our own faith is when we internalize the truth of the Bible – really dealing with the issues and settling in on the truth for ourselves.  What happens next is that very truth cannot lie dormant.  God will work through it to change you from the inside out.  That is the working out of your salvation – that is your faith owning you.

How is your salvation working out in you?