Philippians 1:6
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Philippians 1:6

New King James Version (NKJV)

6. being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Have you ever noticed that tag on certain clothing at the department store that says “As is”?  This means that the item is not perfect, it has a tear or the zipper is broken or it has a stain. There is some flaw on it that makes it less than perfect and less desirable, so they mark down the price with that warning, you are paying for something less than perfect.   I have never bought an "as is" item, have you?   It's flawed and I don't want to have to deal with repairing it.

Isn't that how we treat the wounded around us who are not perfect?  Have you ever been treated like an "as is". I have. It is a very lonely place and in these moments you wonder why God created you.

God didn't make us an "as is". The world, other people and our choices did. 

Experience tells me that we will always be "as is’ on earth. We are in this perpetual motion of learning, growing and becoming.  None of us have arrived yet and we won’t until we are standing face to face with our Creator.  So why are we judging others when all of us are just as messy as the next person?

Why do some of us act like we have no issues?  I always feel uncomfortable with a fellow Christian who always seems to be doing “fine”. Every time you ask them “How are you”? Their answer is, “I’m blessed” or I’m doing good.  I think these answers are often in place of authentic pain.  The only way a Christian can “always” be fine is if they are not growing. It takes pain, suffering, pressing through and being uncomfortable to grow in Christ. It is not an easy road and the struggles build our spiritual and emotional muscles.  God is still working on us. According to this verse we won’t be done until “the day of Jesus Christ”. Perfection comes when Jesus comes.

Just like an “As is” piece of clothing, it is the person who purchases the item that fixes it before they can wear it, we are fixed by the One who purchased us, Jesus. The difference is…..we weren’t marked down.  For the Son of God to give His incredibly valuable life for us is a revelation of how valuable God thinks we are. Even though we come flawed, broken and messed up, God did not hesitate to move forward with His plan and purchase us at the highest price; His Son. 

Challenge:  the next time to you look into the mirror, look at yourself the way God sees you as valuable and precious and bought at the highest price

God bless

Marni

Go on to: Philippians 1:21 To Live is Christ
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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.