Do it, the flourishing finish guaranteed

“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:3-6‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://www.bible.com/97/php.1.3-6.msg


This pile is my UFO pile.  UnFinished Opportunities.quilt projects not quite completed.  I leave this stack visible on a chest to inspire me to finish.  One project has only been there for six months.

This is my hidden UFO pile.  Some quilt projects have been filed in this pile for years, like double digit years!

I have high hopes when I begin a project.  Finishing is my favorite part.  So why do I have not one but two piles of UFOs?I become disappointed in the outcome.  I forgot why I liked the planned project.  I'm at the hard part. So I pile and "Scarlet O'Hara" them. ("I'll worry about that tomorrow!)

Philippians 1:6  reminded me of my UFOs, hidden and visible.  What plans and purposes does God have for me that I have relegated to UFO status?

Paul encouraged the Philippians with the reminder that God started a good work in them and He will bring it to a flourishing finish.  Paul has complete confidence in God's choice and plans.

So why am I so hesitant to watch God finish me well:

I'm disappointed, yet God is the one who should not be disappointed.
I forget the best way of life is God's way, not the fickle worldly way.
I lose connection with the source of my confidence, God.

Those sentences all begin with "I". Perhaps I should be following God, reminding me of my place and developing a closer relationship with the One who believes in me and will deliver the flourishing finish!

Our Role,Show To Whom Belong

“to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/eph.1.6.niv

Grandma Ada didn't like to have her photo taken. 
She had roosters in her kitchen decor.
This is an apron I embroidered for her when I was a kid. 

"Your coat looks worn. Go downtown and get a new one." I had just kissed my Grandma Ada upon arrival for a visit.  This was her standard welcome.

Her method of communicating her care was sending us shopping on her charge account!  I'm sure she called ahead to the dress or shoe shop because when I crossed the threshold of the store, the sales clerks welcomed me by name.  It was a small town.  My grandmother had a good reputation for being generous and paying her bills.

I recalled  the shopping experiences when asked to share a time I'd been treated like a princess.  The sales clerks really took care of me,making suggestions and sharing advice.  The clerks knew to whom I belonged.

I was blessed to be well dressed as a child.  The three little girls in the young family down the street benefited when I outgrew my clothes.  Whenever their mom told them they needed new clothes, their first thought was not a shopping trip but rather  what Janice would have outgrown! 

My clothes were freely given to me so my mom freely gave them when I'd used them a bit.  My grandmother dressed me well and only expected me to show her what I bought when I returned from the store.

Jesus freely gave me, and you, the very best, the opportunity to have relationship with God.  Ephesians chapter one reminds that I am blessed by God, chosen by God and belong  to God. All freely given by God through the work of Jesus.

Reject Fickle Life Accept Jesus’ Freedom

“I can’t believe your fickleness—how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing a variant message! It is not a minor variation, you know; it is completely other, an alien message, a no-message, a lie about God. Those who are provoking this agitation among you are turning the Message of Christ on its head. Let me be blunt: If one of us—even if an angel from heaven!—were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed. I said it once; I’ll say it again: If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:6-9‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://www.bible.com/97/gal.1.6-9.msg

FICKLENESS!!!!!  The word jumped from the screen of the Bible app to become lodged in my pondering brain.

I live in a fickle world.  Products continually vie for our purchase. Events lure us from other activities. Fame influences us to be an imitation of someone we are not.

Fickleness breeds disappointment.  Too many times I've disappointed.  So many times I've been disappointed.

It's a fickle world full of fickle people.  Fickleness seems to be ripe with flexibility and opportunity but it's really a trap.  It's a life of indecision, incompleteness and purposeless.

My last Christmas gift reminded me of loyalty.  A potato masher.  When we moved over a year ago I reluctantly discarded the utensil I'd received as a wedding gift forty plus years ago.   I loved it but the rust worried me  Had we been consuming microscopic bits of rust with those mashed potatoes?

I couldn't bring myself to buy a new one.  Honestly I couldn't find the style.  I had other mashers but they didn't work right.  So the past several months,  I've been  old fashioned and high tech--it's been a fork or the stand up mixer depending on the quantity of potatoes to be mashed.

Hallelujah the Christmas gift came through!  A new masher in my favorite style!  Mashed potatoes for dinner tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My reading of this verse occurred the same week I received my new masher and the same week I was reminded of loyalty-  no coincidence.  Years ago, during my mother's antiquing phase, she acquired an antique potato masher.  It hung on her kitchen wall for years, until her kitchen style changed.  She passed it off to me with a "hang this in your kitchen" suggestion.  I did hang it in all my kitchens until this last move.  I couldn't find the antique masher initially.  When I found it I realized this kitchen had no space for my "old friend".  Just last week, I found the spot, the hammer and a nail on the same day and  hung the old masher.  I feel like my home is home now.   The old thing is a reminder of loyalty.

My mom taught me many lessons in loyalty.  No coincidence that today is her birthday!

As Paul reminds in Galatians Jesus came with The Opportunity for Freedom.  Paul reminds us to be Loyal to the simple message of Jesus Christ Crucified.

I have decided to follow Jesus.  Jesus makes my life complete.  Jesus has given me purpose.  My resolve is to be loyal to Jesus alone.

Are Others Distressed For My Benefit?

“If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/2co.1.6.nivB

Throwback Thursday-me in my doubter season 

I can't remember his full name. He was a friend of my brother and lived somewhere in our neighborhood.  Yet his life had a profound effect on mine.  Mike (I think was his first name) went to school with my brother and me.  I remember him in my brother's circle of friends in junior high and high school.  Nice boy as I recall.  I have two distinct memories of Mike.

At a junior high track meet, I overheard the coaches commenting on Mike's running style.  It was head, arms and legs moving in frantic motion.  The coaches' education taught them that Mike's style needed to change.  He would never win with all that extraneous motion. Ii started to watch Mike's races.  His race style was unique and the coaches were right, he never won.  I admired him from afar, he was in my younger brother's circle of friends.  I secretly rooted for him to win in spite of the coaches'predictions.  He did once in my memory.  I remember him as one who persevered despite the advice of others to quit.

A few years later, when Mike was a very young adult he faced another "race".  He had cancer.  Far too young Mike lost that race too.  True to his character he endured this challenge with grit, determination and faith.

Grit, determination and faith.  Mike is one of my earliest memories of a Christian living out his faith.  I don't believe he kept his belief in Jesus a secret.  I knew and I was several circle of friends removed.

I thought of Mike and the effect of his testimony on my own life and faith.  When Mike changed his address to Heaven, I was a doubter, practically an agnostic. Yet I count Mike's demonstration of his faith and identity in Jesus Christ as His Savior as a brick in my road to belief.

Thanks Mike for living an authentic Christian life.  You made an impact in lives you probably never realized while on earth.  You remind me to endure and trust God.  Be authentic and true in my walk with Christ.  Others will benefit.

Is evidence of Christ clearly verified?

“Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:4-6‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://www.bible.com/97/1co.1.4-6.ms

"What's with the green thread?"  the sales clerk queried.  I looked down at my black shirt coated with bits of green thread.  ."Quilter"  I replied while brushing some threads from my clothes.  Apparently my hobby was not clearly demonstrated by my unusual clothing accents.  A peak into my sewing room, corner of my basement, inside of my vacuum,  or my credit card statement would clearly indicate my hobby choice.

The sixth verse of I Corinthians certainly causes me to ask "Is there evidence of Christ's work in my life?" "Would anyone know  I follow Jesus by how I live my life?"

The following verse reminds me that  I don' t need a thing. All God's gifts are right in front of me.  So does the world see the evidence of God's goodness or me striving for what the world designates as good?

I've always felt God leaves us around earth to be evidence of His love and His work.  I'm challenged by the quality of me as evidence.

My favorite line,often heard in the old TV drama Perry Mason, is " This evidence is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial."  Today I simply desire to be clear evidence of God's good gifts.

Belonging is. God’s Love For You

“And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/rom.1.6.niv

Under all that hair is a new pink collar.

It’s an annual event in our house, both exciting and dreaded.  Every Christmas dogs get new collars. The year’s worth of grime is discarded and replaced with shiny collars.  The dogs get very excited or maybe agitated.

I dread the switching of the tags. Separating the coiled wire holders to remove the license tags is only half the battle. The process is repeated to transfer the officially required tags to the new collars.  We have three dogs, six wrestling tags through those wire holders.  Full confession: I waited until my husband could do it!

I remember a dog movie from my past.  The dog with an owner explained the virtues of a collar to the stray dog. The memory made me think about belonging as did the sixth verse of Romans.

The search for belonging is a powerful drive of the individual.  Think of all we do to demonstrate to others to what we belong.I confess to wearing my professional football team's shirt to my quilt group because they all celebrate Red Friday. (Go Chiefs!) I belong to the group so I dress like the group. We act, talk and sometimes think like the group to which we desire to belong.

A quick internet search for the definition of belonging led me to "an affinity for place or situation."  Affinity means a liking or sympathy.  I think the desire for belonging is more powerful than just liking or sympathy.  It's desire, need and choice.

Sometimes we bristle at belonging because it appears as if we are owned.  The stray dog thought he'd lose his freedom and identity with an owner and a collar.  Yet the wearing of a collar represents love, security and choice.

Molly is not a morning dog and we were up very early.  I knew I wanted a photo for this blog.  I spoke the word "sit" and she did!  With Molly obedience is always a pleasant surprise. She is independent.  Yet Molly is my dog. She has the collar and dog tags to show it.  If I leave the room, she eventually comes to find me and settles near by. 

My limited ability to train my dogs depends on their desire to accept belonging to me and the trustworthiness of my reward system.  (The promise of hot dogs or "daddy cookies" guarantees compliance with my "command.")

This discussion of dog obedience does shed light on our relationship with Jesus, our belonging to Jesus.  It's my choice and my assurance of His trustworthiness.

I decided to follow Jesus.  He invited.  I accepted.  I don't  wear a physical collar. My heart is constrained by my desire to hear the words "good and faithful servant".  I have been assured the He is trustworthy and will provide for me, protect me and give me my place of belonging.

I belong to Jesus not because of anything I did or do.  God loved me and offered the way to belong,.  My search for belonging is complete.

(The dogs don't know it yet but today they get new tags-the city licenses. Hopefully my husband is available for the tag wrestling!)