Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. Philippians 2:12b NLT
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Philippians 2:13 NLT
After an injury there is recovery. We all know that. With some injuries it is a very quick recovery. Take a hang nail. One does not stay home from work with an hang nail. However with surgery, time is needed to recover from the cutting and repairing. It just depends on the injury AND the patient.
If you know you know, by that statement. There are patients and there are patients that try everyone’s patience. You know the type – good at paying lip service to the doctor, but then does what he/she thinks is best. Getting back up on a ladder with a broken foot is not a wise thing to do, just in case you were wondering.
But there also comes a time, when it is time to move on. To get back in the game. To do the work required in the healing process. Physical therapy is around for that reason. If one does not do the therapy atrophy sets in. Depression takes hold. Life suddenly becomes quite different.
DO THE WORK
I venture to say that these same principles apply to our walk with the LORD. Not that we are injured by the LORD, but disciplined; or a desire for a deeper walk with Him fuels our passion. It is here when we work out our salvation. For example, we cannot expect to grow in our walk by letting someone else read the Bible for us. We must read the Word for ourselves. We cannot expect to have a relationship with God if we let others do all the talking for us – we must pray ourselves.
It's work, it requires time and a commitment. It requires faith.
By doing the work, results are evident. We are at peace when chaos reigns all around. We have joy when all else is sorrow. Trust and assurance, coupled with faith and belief are revealed. The work that is done in the prayer closet is on display – so as to give God glory, not to toot our own horn.
We work to please our Father and God gives us this desire to do so. Much like surgery gives us a desire to go to PT because we know that to live life to the fullest, we must invest the time and effort. We don’t want to go back to before so we press on, forgetting what lies behind (Hebrews 12:2) keeping our focus on the goal - full restoration and range of motion.
Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 NLT
My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus. Acts 20:24a NLT
In the Old Testament and the New, we are shown the work that was required by God’s people. It took planning, hard work, time, grit, and determination to finish the job. Bible stories show us whether the jobs were done for God and with Him, or whether they were done by man’s effort which led to disastrous results. The work that we do in our own journey will either bring God glory or not. We can stall, become stale, retreat and/or walk away; in the end, we lose. Every athlete knows there is a cost to competing. Time, training, exertion, personal cost, to name a few. The decision is made and then hard work begins with a formulated plan to train to win the prize.
In our walk with God the cost is palpable – dying to self. Doing the training necessary to show ourselves as a workman worthy for hire. Training such as reading Scripture daily, daily prayer time, sharing the gospel and living a life honoring God. As Paul writes, life is worth nothing except finishing the race marked out for us by God. Doing the training and finishing the course. Will you join me in doing the work?
PRAYER
FATHER GOD, thank You for giving me a job to do – a work created by You for Your glory. May I not shrink back, quit or be an impatient patient. May I use this time of injury/discipline to fine tune my exercise program with You. May I not waste any time on superfluous stuff but focus on what matters – getting and staying in shape for Your kingdom work. AMEN
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