Cling to the Word of Life
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even is I am to be poured our as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith , I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Ouch! These verses hurt, especially 14 & 15. They have not just stepped on my toes, but they have stomped on them a few times. I'm not going to ease into my confession of sin here. I confess that I struggle with discontentment. Not in every aspect of my life, but the part I am discontent in has made me angry and looking like I belonged to the crooked and twisted generation and not someone shining a light holding fast to the word of life. My grumblings have been loud, and my open wounds have hurt others around me. This sin of mine is why I did a study on the book of Philippians and then decided to write about it. It is very apparent that I have a long way to go but isn't that the lovely thing about our Creator? Even after I have thrown my tantrum over and over, He is right there, still patiently teaching me His ways are better than mine.
When I step out to attempt a solo dance, He draws me back in, leading me in His grace. But I have to be a willing partner because His reign in my heart is not something He forces. Jesus does not make us mindless followers, and He doesn't want us to be. Through His love, he shows us He is the word of life we should all cling to. So I repent and bow my heart in surrender and worship my Savior. This dance is a beautiful exhale of hope into the world. And whatever the cost, we are encouraged to do it all with rejoicing. Even as I type that out, I know that is not the true state of my heart. But I want it to be. I do not rejoice in the hardships as I am walking through them, but I know my faith has been made stronger through them. I can look back and rejoice in the lessons of life I have learned. I know that there is a joy that gives me the strength to take each day in steps of faith.
My prayer for you today, my beautiful sister, is that you allow Jesus to be your lifetime dance partner. When you feel the grumblings start to come out I pray you let Jesus take you by the hand and lead you in His grace. I pray that you cling to Him for He is the Word of life. And May His love wash over you and keep you stepping in faith.
