A Discussion On Distraction

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 according to his good purpose.

Philippians 2:12-13

"Therefore" ties this verse to the previous section. "Work out your salvation," in light of the preceding exhortation to unity, may mean that the entire church was to work together to rid themselves of divisions and discord. The Philippian Christians needed to be especially careful to obey Christ, now that Paul was not there to continually remind them about what was right. In the same way, we too must be careful about what we believe and how we live, especially when we are on our own. In the absence of cherished Christian leaders, in the absence of people we trust to hold us accountable, we must focus our attention and devotion even more on Christ so that we will not be sidetracked. Our journey takes us on adventures day to day, and we can see God's hand working in our lives, if we are paying attention. By the same token, we can get easily sidetracked if we are not paying attention to what is true and right. So much in this world is set before us purely as a distraction. We must be wise and we must be wary in order to avoid the pitfalls that are common to us all. Keep looking up and all will go well with you, even when things around you are truly chaotic.

God Bless you,

JH