Still in Phil

Couldn't resist that blog heading.  I love rhymes.

I'm still reading in Phillippians, though my reading today also took me to Mark 3 and 4 and Hebews 6 and 10.

Please don't be under the impression that I read this much Bible every day, it's just that I'm sick and laying in bed and reading is a great way to pass the time between the naps and eating chicken soup.

The book of Phil is one of my favorites.  It holds one of my favorite verses:


2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

Before we go any further I have something to make you laugh, as you know the Bible has many versions and I frequent a website called biblestudytools.com to compare them, because though I own a few translations, I don't have nearly as many as biblestudytools.com.

Here a a few variations on Phil. 2:14

Do all things without protests and arguments; (Bible in basic English)

Do all things without murmurings and disputings:(KJV)

And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations: (Douay - Rheims)

(hee, hee, YE....do ye, do ye, do ye)

Haced todas las cosas sin murmuraciones ni discusiones, (La Biblia de las Americas)

(!Que bueno!)

Faites toutes choses sans murmures ni hésitations, (French)

(Oui ye)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing ;(NAS)

But here is my all time favorite:

Do everything without kvetching or arguing,(Complete Jewish Bible)

Quit ye your kvetching!!!!

I have to admit I kvetch all the time....ye.

And, when I don't kvetch out loud, I kvetch in my head.

But, I do get the idea.  It means not to be a whiner and not to be argumentative.

This is loud and clear to me now because as I sit writing, my children are supposed to be doing their chores.  A couple of them are, and they are doing it without kvetching, this is very attractive and wonderful.  The others are complaining, and procrastinating and arguing about who does what.

Kvetching is totally unattractive and somewhat infuriating.

My real favorite part of this passage is the shining like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life part.

The word of life.

Do you know what the word of life is?

Its' all over the Bible.

One of the best word of life verses is in John 1:12

"To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God."  

That's the word of life.  You can be one of God's children, all you have to do is ask God to forgive you and understand that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross paid for every bad thing that you or anyone else has ever done.

Wala!

The shining like stars in the universe is kind of nice too.  That is apparently a very beautiful way of saying that as you tell people that God loves them and wants a relationship with them you will end up looking pretty good yourself because you are doing what God designed you to do.

When I think about people that do this, it's true.

Billy Grahm (very sparkly)

Jim Elliot (wow)

Beth Moore (shiny)

Grandma Han (ohhhh)

I know, they aren't really glittery, but there is something amazing about their person, it is as if God himself is shining through them.

And that's all I have for today.

http://www.xenos.org/teachings/?teaching=1126