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 own 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

During the fall of 2004, I found myself

under the scalpel as I underwent another knee replacement on the very same knee. As always, the surgery was just the beginning of a long and tedious process of recovery. One day while in therapy, I asked the therapist why the doctor could not set my knee at the required amount of degrees during my surgery. This would have made my rehabilitation time span much shorter and a lot less work and pain. She stated that during the surgery, the doctor had already tested my knee to be sure that it could extend and bend to that of a normal knee. However, it was "kneed-ful" for me to work out what the doctor worked in during surgery. In other words, my doctor knew what my knee could do, but it was my responsibility to get it permanently to that place.

And so it is with our salvation. It is a long and trying process that never gives way to a short cut. God, in His infinite wisdom, has already set in motion His plan for us. Before the foundations of the world, He knew that He would be performing my "heart" surgery and He already had a clear vision of what my life in Him would become. However it is my responsibility to cooperate with my heavenly Therapist so that I can become all that He already knows I can be in Him. There are no short cuts with God. And this is always a hard pill to swallow because we are spoiled rotten by all the sophisticated technology we have today. Although our daily lives are made easier, God still chooses the hard ways---ways that take time and require patience and perseverance. Salvation is a continuous process and although the goal has been set, I must endure so that I can reach it.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for growing us up in our salvation through your ongoing "Boot Camp" training. Although it would be easier if you would completely grow us up at the time of salvation, we thank you that salvation is a life-long process and we must cooperate with you in order to reach maturity. How grateful I am when I think about how your way of doing things is so much different from the world. Thank you for making me do my part even though you already worked it in me. Amen.

Encouragement Tip:
As a reminder of God's way of growing us up, choose to do something without taking a short cut. Park further away from the store entrance or, instead of using the microwave, try cooking your meals on the regular stove. Do something that's hard and will take a long time to complete.

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