But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Philippians 2:17

A selfless life. Paul understood what his life was about. He was declaring the truth of Jesus Christ no matter what. It was part of who God made him. He was an all or nothing kind of guy.

We see this before his spiritual transformation. He was determined to find those who had left the faith of Juduism,  and put them in jail for treason. He would not relent from punishing christians. He was a Rabbi, who knew the law, and would not tolerate anything else in place of God.

This is why Jesus pursued Paul.  He had the tenisity and will power to do for God what others might not. Paul saw in Jesus Christ the fulfillment of every law and need of humankind. Of course he needed a great awakening first, by way of a horse and blindness, but he got the message.

I believe Paul felt he was serving God by condemning christians. His intentions were to honor God, but he was a bit misplaced. His devotion and love for the Savior were genuine, and complete once he saw Jesus. I guess I can be the same way at times; turned around and without focus on what God truly desires.

I don't do this on purpose. It happens when I'm not careful. God pulls me in to himself, and holds me close when I realize I may have moved from where I truly want to be. I  never want to waiver from being close but it can happen so quickly. Of course, He hasn't moved, it was me.

  Paul must have felt shame after he realized he had been attacking the very people God was trying to establish! What would that have been like for him, I don't know. Did he live with feelings of guilt for a while? Time heals all wounds, it is said. I do know he was forgiven and loved by God so it wasn't an issue. 

Here in verse 17, we see Paul is ready to die for his fellow saints in the Lord. They are his family not his enemy. Transformation done God's way is eternal. I  think Paul would be grateful to God for stopping him from self destructon, as all of us are when we realize where our own efforts would get us.

Thank God today for loving you even before you walked in His ways. What a truly awesome, loving, compassionate God He is!  

as you hold out the word of life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

Philippians 2:16

How are you on this first Monday after Thanksgiving? We had a hard week. Last Tuesday we had to say goodbye to a wonderful friend who has been in our house for 11 years, our West Highland Terrier, Lena.

 We found a lump on her back two weeks before. It was huge, and hard and I knew right away it wasn't good. The doctor agreed with me. He ran some tests and found it was cancer. The next day I had to get on a plane to Chicago fro my daughter's swearing in by the Chicago Supreme Court as an Attorney.

I was torn.  I wanted to stay home, but decided I needed to go to Chicago. Once I arrived I was fine, and my son Matthew watched after Lena at home. My greatest heartache was thinking she would die while I was away, but by God's grace, she didn't.

We had a wonderful time with Rachel in Chicago although it was 20 degrees. We didn't care much. Coming home to Lena was a blessing. She wasn't any better but she wasn't any worse either.

We had a week of no change, but last Monday she didn't seem right. By Tuesday she wasn't eating, and didn't want to move much. She had trouble breathing. I knew it was time. The day before I took her to the vet, and I felt the Lord say to me, "you will be back here tomorrow."

I wasn't suprised, but my heart ached, and I cried. My golden retreiver had an appointment at another vet in East Islip for surgery. I went there with Matthew my son, knowing what I must do when I got home. How I wished I could avoid saying goodbye to Lena!

I knew since I saw that lump it was a serious problem, but now actually having to face it troubled me. She was very sick by the time I got home, and when we arrived at the doctor, her blood pressure was low, and he said she was pale. 

I don't know why I'm writing this today. I didn't plan on it. Last week we also had a broken washer and a job loss in the family. Life can be just plain rotten at times, but the overall adventure is worth every mile, bacause as Paul writes, "I did not run or labor for nothing." All of our lives have meaning, and value with its ups and downs. God is good, and He intends for all of the hicupps to work out. 

"so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." Philippians 2:15 NIV

Complaining can really become a bad habit. If we continue in it, we can loose focus on the Lord, and His goodness to us in this generation. One of the reasons He hasn't returned to the earth, is because of His great compassion on the lost. He is steadfast and true.

As the Apostle Paul shares in this verse our purity is found when we stop the complaining. "Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14 I have never seen this before.  I think of purity as a thought but not a word. It has to begin somewhere. Thoughts become words if we allow them.

This is why we are encouraged to read, study, memorize, post and write the word of God. As we get the truth into us, whenever possible, what comes out in the form of thoughts and maybe words will be pure. Thinking is a lost art, I think.

It left us when texting and social media came in. It used to be if you spoke on the phone no one but the person you are speaking to would hear. Maybe some people in the room will hear, but that's it. It's not like this anymore. 

Almost everything can be retreived in some way. This should cause us to be more careful with our words, but I don't think research will back this up. Our young people might be suseptible to this, more than the older generation. 

Maybe God is more concerned about complaining than I realized. Why can it seem to be easy sometimes? For me, I need to catch it in the little things so it doesn't pile up. Worry, doubt and fear can be the spark behind my words. I guess you could probably say the same. 

This Thanksgiving season, let's catch ourselves before saying something that might lead to an argument. Even the smallest doubt about another can come out. Pray before your guests come if you are cooking to ask God to help you watch  your words. Pray before you go to someone else's house. Pure thought become pure words.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing." Philippians 2:14 NKJV

If I could look out onto this ocean scene everyday, I wouldn't complain ever! It may seem like this but we can get pretty familiar with even the most picturesque scenes. In our house, complaining started with our oldest son. 

He had a reason why he couldn't do eveything. He would debate,  lecture, and try to make a deal. Nothing happened easily with him. My husband would say: "someday he will be a great lawyer,"and he was right. He is well liked in the District Attorney's office, and may join my husband in his Law Firm at some point.

He is better about the complaining, and he can get along with everyone. The banter across the dinner table can be pretty fierce with three lawyers at one table. I ask a lot of questions since I don't know legaleze.

Our daughter Rachel was sworn in  as a lawyer in the Illinois Courts last Thursday. Our son Matthew is taking the law school admissions test tomorrow. They will have Stephie and I outnumbered for sure. You should have been here when they we growning up!

Wow! Some wild arguments went on before maturity took hold. At least they are able to put their previous home training to good use. As all professions it takes many years before a sense of achievement is found. Now they have to put up with complaining from clients or defendants.

The Bible has many verses to help us understand why complaining is not a healthy thing. Anger can cause us to complain. Psalm 39:3
"My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then I spoke with my tongue."The words we wish we hadn't said come out when we start to complain.

Our stress levels are influenced by our complaints. I was mad, I mean, mad at our puppy yesterday. She is with us for two months and we are still house training? I reached my level of tolerance. What can I say? She is better today. I'm thankful for all God has done in my life. I'm not saying this because Thanksgiving is 3 days away. 

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for
His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13

The doing of God's work is one thing,but the will to do it is another thing entirely. If you don't have the will to do, it doesn't matter. God is after our hearts and the whys of what we do. 

We can do lots of things for Him, but this is not His concern. Motives and attitudes are important. Anyone who has lived with a teen knows what this is like. 

Stephanie: I hate school and I hate work!
Me: Sounds like you are depressed.
Stephanie: No Mom, I like my friends.
Me" Oh, so you just don't like anything you have to do. Why don't you think about only seven more months and you will be finished with High School for ever! College will be so different, really!
Think about all the great things in your life!
Stephanie: No Mom, you don't get it.

What is it that I don't get? I'm showing her all the wonderful things she has in front of her. {If someone else said the same thing she might agree! Funny.} Her will to focus on those things was not engaged. Praising God for what He has given and done for us lifts us out of bad attitudes and into a whole realm of hope, life, and peace.

There is nothing in life more wonderful to focus on than what God has for us now and in the future. Stephanie will figure this out, as she matures. Aligning our will with God builds a strong bond of faith and catapults us into divine blessing!

I am all in for this! I'm thinking you want some of this too. Who doesn't want all good things for life and eternity?The work is worth it. Press in for more life and hope!

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:  Philippians 2:12 NKJV

Why is Paul telling the Philippians to fear and tremble? Isn't this the opposite of what he has told them in the past? No, not really at all. When we think about our lives and what we do with these lives it can be a very serious.

 All will be known before God and the world at the end of time. This is a sobering truth. Our works don't save us, but they do determine where we will be in the Kingdom. None of this makes any sense right now, but it will for eternity.

The younger you are, the less you might think about eternity. We may think we have plenty of time before we die, but no one knows how much time God has allowed them. Instead of having a bucket list of things to do before you die, what if we had a basket of gifts to give to others?

What do you want to do to bless others? Maybe you have always seen yourself as a teacher's aide in a school setting. My friend Steve Falletta worked in business and traveled for many years. In his retirement, he works at a local Elementary School brightening everyone's day.

Maybe this wasn't something he dreamed of doing, but he loves it. Maybe you have wanted to have a Bible Study in your house or a prayer meeting? There are things we can do from our house to bless others, maybe even write a blog?

We can pray for all things from home, and we can send messages of love and comfort to those who might need some encouragement. I remember Ellie Lofaro sharing about going door to door in her new neighborhood asking the ladies to come to a Bible Study in her home. She gathered a small number, but it grew to hundreds over the years, coming and going.

What you are able to do is unique to who you are. Serving God in church or outside those walls is necessary so our lights don't shine just on other lights. We can make a difference as we allow Jesus to flow out of our mouths, hands and feet!

"and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:11 NKJV

God is the one who gets the glory for every good, perfect, beautiful and noble thing on this earth. Any tongue professing anything else will be found guilty of unbelief at the end. What exactly do we believe as christians?

Jesus Christ came in the flesh, as the Son of God, to die in our place. He gave His body willingly to save us from sin. All those who believe in Him will live eternally not in this body, but in a heavenly body. Life on earth will cease for everyone at some time, but not all will escape the judgement of sin.

Our debt before God has been paid, we are no longer far from God, as sin is what separates us. Do we sin, yes at times but we are no longer walking in sin habitually. We have been set free, so it is our choice now to choose to live in grace, or in the flesh. Oh how I wish it was as simple as writing this on the page!

We have a battle on the inside at times. We want to do what's right but our flesh, the natural woman inside wants to do things her way.
My Pastor says, "What we feed will lead." Feed your spirit, and it will follow after God. Feed the flesh it will take you down the wrong path.

I don't know about you, but I have had enough of the wrong path. Who wants to take years off of their life? God's way will add years to it, and His years will be productive and satisfying. Lay down heavy burdens and allow God to carry them.

Life isn't perfect, but Jesus in our lives makes life amazing. We can see glimpses of what is to come, and this causes in us a longing for more. Wholeness now, in our sinful flesh has been obtained. It's a free gift, and the freedom we get with it, sends our spirits sailing!