Work it Out

The book of Philippians 2: 12-13 is a good place to start this conversation on working out your salvation. Here is what it has to say.

Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now,
not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more
because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete)
your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious
caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking
from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).
13[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you
[energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His
good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

While this scripture is specifically focused on believers living their lives in such a way as to do right with regard to honoring God and fulfilling his will, there is more to it than what we see. I would like to look at its broader application in the course of this article.

First it is important to note that the premise for this requirement is what God has already done. This is the way it always works. First, God invests in you then he seeks the return. He will never seek a return where he has not invested.

God works in you as we see in verse 13 to have both the willingness and the ability to do what He is asking for in verse 12. There are two things which stand in the way of someone who wants to do something good. For some it is a lack of willingness. You lack the drive, the impetus, the motivation to go out and do something. The second challenge we see is the ability. In a world where the default setting is for us to do wrong, it takes superhuman ability to go out and do the right thing. God takes care of both issues and positions us where we have all it takes to work things out.

If we are to look at its broader application, this scripture is encouraging us to make the most of God’s supplied graces upon our lives. There are many investments God has put in us, many things he has endowed us with. We have talent, abilities, gifts and so much more that is already resident in us. The question becomes what to do with it all. If you look deep within yourself you realize that there is a lot that lies unexploited. Working it out is about choosing to bring it all to the fore.

Your endowments help no one when they stay hidden or under the radar. They only find their significance when they are given room to shine through. Our job as we live this side heaven is to ensure that all our reserves are deployed for the benefit of all. We must endeavor to tap into all our reservoirs of energy to ensure that we are not living anything unutilized or underutilized.

When we fail to work out our potential, we are guilty of one or all three things. We are either misusing, underusing or not using at all. John C. Maxwell says where purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable. Therefore there is a number of things we need to do if we are to get to the point where we are fully making use of what we have at our disposal. These three things are the heart and soul of what we do at Optimize Institute. I will briefly go into them as we come to a close of this article.

I call them the 3D’s of your potential and they stand for Discover, Develop, Deploy.

The first task you have as an individual if you are to work out your potential is to discover it. You cannot exploit what you don’t know. Your eyes must be open to what you have lying within you if you will have a chance to exploit it. That awareness is critical. You need to look deep within yourself as you also search the scriptures to get a clearer understanding of what lies within you. I am of the persuasion that the God who made you understands clearly what is wired within you much like automotive engineers know what lies under the hood of a supercar. There is therefore no better place to start looking than to consult with Him in prayer and in His word. He could give greater meaning to your experiences than what you thought possible. He can weave a good narrative out of the chaos of your life than you could come up with by yourself. Discovery is not complete without the involvement of the divine.

Secondly you must develop that latent power lying within. There is a lot that your gifts need before they can shine through. I always say, you must look at your gifts as diamonds in the rough. There is a process through which they are taken before they are ready to make beautiful ornaments. That process is what we are calling development. Development requires that you go through the fire and the water. It will call for you to endure the ups and downs of life, there will be highs and lows at every turn. Sometimes you will feel like quitting along the way because the heat is too much. At other times you will wonder whether it is all worth it. The process of development is no walk in the park but it is a necessary component of the journey to bringing it all to the fore.

Finally you are ready for deployment. After all the ups and downs, the time is right for you to be made manifest to the world. Many times, the people see you and marvel at what has happened overnight. While it feels like an overnight success to them, for you who has gone through the process, it’s been tedious beyond explanation. At the point of deployment you are up for celebration. Everybody wants to be associated with you. Even those who were on the sidelines want to find a way to show solidarity with you. They say failure is an orphan but success has many fathers. You must learn to take it in your stride because there is nothing much you can do to change people.  To work it out means you have endured the process of development and allowed yourself to reach the limelight. The Joy of deployment far exceeds the pains of development every time. It is much like how for the joy of holding her baby in her hands, the mother forgets all the pain of childbirth.

No matter what stage you are at in the process, remain focused on the final goal which is to see the fruit of all your labor. The reward is not for those who quit along the way. It is reserved for those are ready to go all the way to the top. They say the air at the top is pure because the top is less crowded. If you want to enjoy that kind of air, then you have your job cut out for you. Beyond the reward however, do it from a sense of duty and responsibility because one of my favorite quotes is that ‘The world, God and you need the best of you expressed.’ When you fail to show up, everybody suffers. Therefore show up for the good of everyone who is waiting on you. 

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