Shine Like Stars In The Universe

My mom and I have been studying Philippians this past week and I came across this amazing advice.
"Do everything without complaining or arguing 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 as you hold so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." Philippians 2:14-16

I absolutely love these verses. 

If you read through Philippians, you'll notice how many times the author talks about being joyful, glad, and rejoicing. This is book is coming from Paul, who wrote this letter to the city of Philippi, while he was in jail. Consider this--Paul is in jail for standing up for his beliefs, and he is rejoicing. He never complained. Most of us almost have a perfect life compared to Paul's and we complain all of the time. I know I do. I have pondered this and realized that no matter what life throws at me, I need to undertake every single day with joy. I want to strive to do everything without complaining or arguing so I may be a blameless and pure child of God so I may shine like a star in the universe. I am aware that I will never do everything without complaining or arguing, but Ephesians 5:1 says we need to be imitators of Christ. So I'll keep trying, even though I will fail. I am so thankful for God's sufficient grace. :)

Well, that's me blabbing about what I have discovered in my bible today. ;) I hope y'all are having a fantastic week. (:

I found this encouraging post from the blog Soul Food that takes this into even more depth.