He Began a Good Work in You

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

We are confident in our Lord and Savior.

God, who began a good work in us, will carry it on to completion.

And He will continue that work until the day of Christ Jesus.

This week I gave my notice to my coworkers.

I'll be retiring as of August 1.

I'll miss this view from my office window.

And I'll miss many of the people.

But I'm ready to stop working so many hours away from my family.

And my 23-year-old coworker will be moving to South Korea to teach students in August, leaving our company as of July 30.

God is working His purpose out in me and in her.

Very exciting to see Him at work in our lives.

Each of Us Should Please Our Neighbors

Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. — Romans 15:2

We have neighbors who exemplify this verse.

Kirk golfs with one of them regularly.

And I received some fragrant lilies from his wife last month along with a beautiful card of thanks for our friendship.

They are Christians who tied a knot in my prayer quilt that their church made for me while I was undergoing chemotherapy 5 years ago.

And they were surprised to see that the quilt at the front of their church was for their neighbor, me!

Another of our neighbors and close friends put in the request for the quilt.

And our next-door neighbors sent us a beautiful floral arrangement for Thanksgiving to thank Kirk for watching their house, bringing in their trash cans, and picking up any fliers from their walkway.

Now they are getting ready to sell their house.

We've only had two different families live in that home since we moved in.

And the previous couple were wonderful Christian friends who shared their fruit and vegetables and canned goods with us.

She baked delicious rosemary shortbread cookies.

We have been blessed by our neighbors.

And we are praying for another wonderful family to move in once our neighbors sell their home.

Thank You, Lord.

There Is No One Who Does Good

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. — Psalm 14:1 

Only the fool says "There is no God."

Even the most simple among us can see God in His creation.

But the fool ignores his own eyes.

He is corrupt.

His works are vile.

There is no on who does good.

Only God's Son, jesus.

Grow Up in Your Salvation

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. — 1 Peter 2:2-3 

Like newborn babies, God creates us to crave spiritual milk.

When we are fed spiritually, we are able to grow.

And to mature in our salvation.

We have tasted that the Lord is good..

And we are blessed.

God Works In All Things

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:23

We know that God works in all things.

And through it all, He is in control.

In all things, He works for our good.

For the good of all who love Him.

We have been called according to His purpose.

And He is working His purpose out in us.

Using our lives to glorify Himself.

You, Lord, Are Abounding in Love

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. — Psalm 85:6 

Today is the final day of January.

A new month is ahead.

It seems like we just entered 2024 and now one month is over.

How comforting to know that God is forgiving.

When I mess up, He forgives me when I come to Him in repentance.

The Lord is good.

He abounds in love.

And He's not selective. 

His love is for all who call to Him.

Thank You, Lord.

Seek Good, Not Evil

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. — Amos 5:14-15

God is with us.

And He calls us to seek good, not evil.

Even stronger, to hate evil and love good.

Maintain justice.

And perhaps God will have mercy on us as He had on the remnant of Joseph.

Kirk has been suffering from a cough for the past nine days, poor guy.

Abby and I are now healthy.

We pray for his recovery and for sleep. 

A Savior Has Been Born to You

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. — Luke 2:10-11 

The angel told the shepherds not to be afraid.

The good news he proclaimed was joyful.

And it would bring joy to all people.

Our Savior was born in the town of David.

And He is the Messiah, the Lord, the anointed one.

Born for me!

To pay the price for my sin.

With His ultimate sacrifice.

Jesus Is the Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep." — John  10:14-16

Jesus is our good shepherd.

He knows us as His sheep.

And We, His sheep, know His voice.

Just as the Father knows Jesus and He knows Hi Father.

And Jesus laid down His life for us.

Even though we didn't deserve it.

The Lord Is Good and His Love Endures Forever

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. — Psalm 100:5  

God is good to us, way beyond anything we deserve.

He brings trials and blessings our way.

And He holds our hands to help us through whatever comes our way.

His love endures forever.

His faithfulness continues to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. — 1 Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the God of God; His love lasts forever.

And He has given us everything we have.

He is our Creator.

And our Provider.

Our Healer.

Today we give thanks as a country for our great God.

Live As God's Slaves

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. — 2 Peter 2:15-16

Yesterday we had a mom/daughter day at Mama Mia.

What a fun show!

Thry even offered a signature cocktail.

So of course, we each had to try. one.

It is God's will that by doing good we should silence ignorant and foolish people. 

God commands us not to use our freedom as a cover-up for evil.

But to live as God's slaves.

All Scripture is God-Breathed

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

God's Word is useful for teaching me how to live.

And for rebuking me when I stumble and fall.

And for correcting me when I start to wander away from God.

When I read it thoughtfully, it trains me in righteousness.

Not just certain verses, but all Scripture is useful.

Helping to equip me for every good work.

And doing so thoroughly and in truth.

Humility That Comes From Wisdom

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. — James 3:13 

What does wisdom mean in the eyes of the Lord?

Solomon had wisdom, yet even He was not wise when it came to marrying wives who worshiped other Gods.

As a result, they led him away from the Lord.

So how do I get wisdom and understanding?

Especially when it seems nearly impossible to live a good life.

And it's especially difficult to live in humility.

James 1:5 reminds me that "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Only God is truly wise.

So when I ask Him before I take action instead of afterward, He can help me live a good life, do deeds in humility, repent when I miss the mark daily, and turn back to Him.

Be Transformed By the Renewing of Your Mind

Do not conform to the pattern 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

God calls us to be in the world but not of it.

To be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ.

Not to conform to the pattern of this world.

All this so we will be able to test our for ourselves what God's will is for us.

To approve what He has in mind for us.

God's good, pleasing and perfect will for you and me.

Teach Me to Do Your Will

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. — Psalm 143:10 

God's Word teaches me to do His will.

For He is my God.

May His good and holy Spirit lead me.

And keep my feet on level ground.

Here's the baby ring neck snake that crawled into our house yesterday.

We'd left the door open throughout the evening during dinner.

He knew a good place when he saw it.

Fortunately, Kyle spotted it and he and Kirk managed to get it into this bucket.

He released it safely into the wild.

We Are Created in Christ Jesus

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  — Ephesians 2:10 

God is our creator.

And we are His handiwork.

He created us Christ Jesus to do good works.

God prepared in advance for us to do good things for others.

To bring God's beauty into the lives of those around us.

He Who Began a Good Work in You Will Carry It On

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 

We are confident in God's goodness and grace.

He has begun a good work in us.

And He will carry it on to completion.

The Lord will continue the good work until the day of Christ Jesus.

And we are grateful.

This is the beautiful Salamanca Cathedral in Spain.

Our Father in Heaven Gives the Holy Spirit

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! — Luke 11:13 

God blesses us with good gifts.

He showers blessings on us from above.

Even though we are undeserving.

And during times when we ignore Him completely.

He gives us the Holy Spirit.

And He answers our prayers when we ask Him.

We are blessed!

Crave Pure Spiritual Milk

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. — 1 Peter 2:2-3 

We have tasted that the Lord is good.

We have seen the majesty of His glory.

And He commands us to crave pure spiritual milk.

To crave His Word and to cherish it.

So that by it we can grow up in our salvation.

And walk in His ways.

And follow Him all the days of our life.