Day 9 - March 2 - Philippians 3:12-21

On Thursday, January 28th I was in WOW (Women of the Word) and was compelled to ask my small group, completely off topic, "How do you use the Bible to hear from God?" (I may be paraphrasing now but this was what I wanted to know.) This might be obvious to a seasoned follower but as a relatively new Christian (Jan 4, 2009), I was curious about this as I never grew up looking to the Bible as a resource for answers. Even in the last year, I've been inspired through fellowship and "coincidences" and through the Bible, yes, but more so because I was GIVEN specific passages through a sermon or discussion. I'd heard from others who said things like, "I opened the Bible and the scripture really spoke to me." I always thought this was such a lovely thing but never had the experience myself.

That weekend, I went to Jacksonville to celebrate my brother's birthday and to introduce my sister and brother-in-law, who live there, to Andy Stanley's satellite church, bringing my Bible with me. After a GREAT weekend, I came home and brought everything in from the car except my Bible. A niggling little voice kept saying, "Go get it" and my inner voice would stubbornly reply, "Let me get this done first...". I went to bed that night without it. Around 5 the next morning my eyes popped open and the ONLY thing on my mind was to get my Bible out of the car. Begrudgingly and freezing my caramel behind off, I did it. I got back in bed, held the Bible and said "Okay, God, now what?" I started thinking about the different books and the one I saw in bold was PHILIPPIANS then 3:16. By no stretch am I well-versed in the Bible so though Philippians was familiar, the verse was not. It reads "Only let us live up to what we have already attained" (NIV) and it is under the heading "Pressing On Toward the Goal". Folks, was this God's way of letting me know how He can speak through the Bible or what?

In just the last month my family and a friend of mine have set up financial accountability circles and I've PRAYED for a way to get a handle on my health. To get this affirmation from God that I was going in the right direction was so...BIG. The scripture that really spoke to me (dig me, I get to use this phrase now!) was Philippians 3:12-14, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." I feel so STRONGLY about this in the areas of finance and my health, I want to STRAIN TOWARD MY GOALS. I can SEE financial independence so that I may give in the way God calls me to. I can SEE a healthier body so I can be a witness to God's faithfulness. This SAME section goes on to say, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Phil 3:20-21) Now I don't know if it's what He meant but I'm all ABOUT "transforming my lowly body" right now!

Looking at my finances I also had to come to terms with where my heart was. Andy Stanley, a pastor our family LOVES, says that if you want to know where your affection truly lies, follow your money. Did my money go into charitable giving? Tything? Helping the less fortunate? I'm humbled to say it didn't. It was in groceries, eating out, treats...it was FOOD. Philippians 3:19 reads, "Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame." Had I been so focused on the needs of my stomach that I put it above my love for God? My money says I did. What an opportunity to turn things around in both my health and finances! --- And I just thank my Heavenly Father for giving me yet another opportunity to get it right.

My prayer for all of us: Dear Heavenly Father, you are so faithful in your love. May we STRAIN toward you to be all that you call us to be. I pray that our eyes seek you with the EXPECTATION of seeing you in every circumstance, in every face you put in front of us and in the words we read. I pray our ears strain to hear your whispers and that we feel your desire as it echoes in our spirit. Thank you, Father, for your outstretched arms when we stumble and the opportunities you give us to stand tall once again. We know you dream so much bigger for us than even we know how, Father, and we wait with anticipation for all you're getting ready to do. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen.

Meaningful Movement: 1 hour of Zumba
Shake it!

Food that fits in a bowl, Day 9:
-12 m&m's and JP+
-a banana
-pork adobo and rice
-pork adobo and rice

NOTE: I shared this with Marianne so I was still SUPER hungry when we finished. I waited 20 minutes but we did end up sharing a second bowl of food.
-apple
-sauteed red onion and squash with garlic and a splash of soy sauce

NOTE: I'd actually intended to eat more but misjudged my handful of squash. Did you know you could get pre-cut squash in a bag?!?!

Meanwhile, could you deny this face if she asked to share YOUR food?