Trust the Transformation

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until He completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. – (Philippians 1:6, ERV)

I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world. – (Philippians 1:6, VOICE)

We are all a work in progress. The more we seek the Lord, the more we give Him room to work in and through us. He is ever refining and transforming us to be more of who we were created to become. There is always room for us to learn, grow and become better versions of ourselves. The more we learn, the more we recognize there is more to learn. This transformation process is continuous until the day we meet our Maker face-to-face. May we ever seek the Lord to continue the work He has begun in us, so that we might more clearly reflect His heart of love to the world.

O Lord, have Your way,

Transform, bring Your change;

Let all fall away,

Through Love’s great exchange.

You take our ugly,

And use it for good;

You expand our hearts,

To love as we should.

You bring forgiveness,

And grant us Your grace;

Model how to love,

As we live each day.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that the work You have begun in us is an ongoing transformative work that will not end until we see Your face-to-face. Thank You that Your love for us is ongoing. Forgive us for placing limits on love or rejecting change that transforms us to be more like You. Show us how to listen, learn and grow into more of who You have created us to become. Lead us to love one another with pure and generous hearts. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust the transformation that is ever taking place within. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

The Work is Never Done

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – (Philippians 1:6, NIV) 

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until He completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. – (Philippians 1:6, ERV) 

I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put His finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ! – (Philippians 1:6, TPT) 

The same encouragement that Paul give to the church in Philippi applies to each of us who are pursuing God today. It is a promise that reminds us that we are a work in progress. I find great comfort in this, as I know that though He has done much refining in me, there is much to still be done. Not one of us “arrives” to sit idly by, but rather we need forever pursue God’s best for us and those around us. We are being made new and refined each day that we draw breath, until our days are through. I am so thankful that we get to be lifelong learners, rather than take some crash course and suddenly think that we have learned all there is to know and no longer need to grow. One of the best examples of this that I have known was my grandmother. My entire life, her purpose was to never stop learning and growing. She lived it out well, as her mind stayed sharp and her faith secure, even until her dying day, well into her nineties. Her faithful pursuit of God and a deeper understanding of everything and everyone around her, modeled for me that we should never stop learning and growing. May we never stop seeking God and His heart, so that we continue to learn and grow as He intended, until we meet Him face-to-face. 

Choose to seek the Lord, 

Throughout each new day; 

His faithful presence, 

Will show us the way. 

For it’s God’s purpose, 

His most perfect plan; 

To grow and refine, 

Show us how to stand. 

Stand in His wisdom, 

His goodness and grace; 

Learn love as He loves, 

‘til we see His face. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love, grow and refine us as we earnestly seek You. Thank You that this is a lifelong process. Forgive us for neglecting to listen or act upon the ways in which You are leading us to learn, change and grow. Teach us to trust You and the process by which You refine us. Show us how to love more like You every day that we draw breath. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You and trust You to keep growing and refining us until the day that we meet You face-to-face. Amen. 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Who is like You, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You. – Psalm 89:8

Faithful to the Finish

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until He completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. – (Philippians 1:6, ERV)

I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world. – (Philippians 1:6, VOICE)

 

God is faithful to complete that which He begins. I believe this to be true for the heart, body, mind and soul. The good work that God has begun in the healing and restoration of my mom following her stroke, will be carried out until it is complete. We know not the timeline, nor how it will unfold, but we know that God is faithful and true to His word.

We are beginning to have the difficult discussions with mom about what comes next. Thankfully, two of her dearest friends visited yesterday, separately, and both inquired about the plan for what is next, and interjected their support and encouragement in ways that were easiest for mom to receive. Though we do not have dates finalized, nor details completely established, we are fairly certain that mom’s next step in healing and recovery will be to spend some time in Oregon with my sister and her family. There is fantastic outpatient care for the various therapies that mom needs, within a few miles of Meg’s home, and excellent resources for the best possible care for her recovery. In-home care will likely come to an end at the close of this month, so the transition to Oregon will potentially take place, shortly thereafter. Obviously, there are many details work out and lists to complete, prior to making any moves, but it is good to know the next step and mentally prepare for what the next season may look like.  We are grateful for His grace, and beyond blown away by the community and support that mom has here in Wenatchee. It is horribly difficult to leave her home and network of support, but it would not be wise to be away from family while she still has some significant healing to go, before she is ready to return to independent living. Mom is incredibly resilient, and has her eyes on the prize. She knows that this is merely a season that will provide that time and room for her to grow stronger so that she may continue to regain what was lost. God will continue, as He is faithful. May we ever trust in Him.

 

God in His goodness,

He already knows;

The way to healing,

Which way the wind blows.

He has established,

The road that is best;

And makes the way plain,

As His love’s expressed.

God always completes,

The work that He starts;

As He moves in strength,

Mind, body and heart.

Choose to keep trusting,

When the road is rough;

And each time you’ll find,

The Lord is enough.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are ever working in us. Thank You that You never stop. Thank You that every good work You begin, You see through to the end – body, heart, mind and soul. Thank You that You are our strength, our hope and our peace. Forgive us for our frustrations and fears when we cannot see or understand how the work could ever be completed in the direction we are walking. Teach us to trust You to be our Navigator and our Anchor. Show us Your power and strength each new day, as we trust You for each new step You lead us to take. Help us to love those around us well, so that we may extend strength and hope and grace where it is lacking. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in You to faithfully complete every work that You have begun in us. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. – Psalm 33:5

Run for the Prize

Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. – (1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV)

You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! – (1 Corinthians 9:24, ERV)

We all know that when there’s a race, all the runners bolt for the finish line, but only one will take the prize. When you run, run for the prize. – (1 Corinthians 9:24, VOICE)

 

As I considered this verse and how road races work today, there is a real analogy that can be connected. In modern running, if a runner completes the course within the designated time limit (which is usually quite generous) they will receive a finisher’s medal to commemorate the accomplishment of having run their race. The actual race winner does win a prize, but all who finish, do gain something good. Jesus made the way for us to run our own race on the path to which He calls us. For all of us who choose to call on His Name and seek to serve Him (run the race that He has set before us) we will gain our heavenly prize. I am so thankful that we need not be that fastest, the most eloquent of speakers, the holiest or whatever our image of “the most qualified” would be, but rather our prize awaits when we choose to seek and depend on He who gives us direction and strength to run. May we ever turn to the Lord in trust, seeking His strength and direction, so that we will run the race set before us well.

 

To run our race well, 

It takes choosing trust;

Seek God for the strength,

To do what we must.

He’ll show us the way,

We are meant to go;

And give us the strength,

To stay the right road.

If we keep running,

And listen to Him;

Life everlasting,

Is the prize we win.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son and making the way for all who seek to run the race to which You are calling, can complete it in Your strength. Thank You that You grant us strength and direction all of our days if we choose to seek You. Forgive us for the times that we attempt to run aimlessly on our own. Show us how to trust You to lead and guide us as we go. Teach us to love those around us well, so that we would be a source of encouragement, strength and direction in You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You for strength and direction to run our race for our forever prize in Your presence. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Father, I thank You that You have heard me. – John 11:41

Faithful to Finish

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until He completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. – (Philippians 1:6, ERV)

There has never been a doubt in my mind that God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day that Christ Jesus appears. – (Philippians 1:6, MSG)

 

What God begins in us, He will be faithful to finish – even if it seems to be a very slow and labor intensive process. God loves us as we are, wherever we are at, but His love is too great to leave us that way. He takes the good and makes it better, and meets us in our most broken and wounded places and begins to mend and restore and bring beauty where there was once only ugly and injury. If we are willing to allow Him in, He often will take what we perceive to be our most worrisome weakness, and utilize it somehow to magnify His majesty as we rely on His strength. May we ever seek the Lord and trust Him, as He is faithful to finish all that He has begun both in us and through us.

 

God, He is faithful,

For what He begins;

He will continue,

Persist to the end.

Each good work started,

Will continue on;

Until it’s finished,

And old ways are gone.

So ever seek Christ,

And allow Him move;

As His will is done,

And His goodness proved.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that the good work You begin in us will continue until it is finished when You return. Thank You that none of us “arrive” or get it right all of the time, yet You are good and full of grace, ever loving us and drawing us nearer to You still. Forgive us for not seeking You in the places we need You most. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to love well, all those whom You place in our lives to love as we are loved by You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in Your unfailing love that works within us to finish every good work that has been started by You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. – Psalm 145:8