Focus
As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.
Read
Philippians 1:1-11
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Reflect
We all have a share in the advancement of the Gospel. As a minister, I have experienced a community that decided they would share in the ministry. I like Paul, have great memories of my time at the Margaret Hank Church. As I reflect on my time at the ministry, I could not put it any better than Paul in verses 3-5, “3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”
My prayer is that all of you reading this can share in that same experience. If you are a Sunday School teacher, or elder, or a member of the church, I pray that each and every one of you has sought ways to contribute to the advancement of the Gospel. My prayer is that no one reading these lessons will settle for simply being a taker in the church. Instead, I pray that each of you seeks ways to give and serve with the gifts that God has given you. There is a world in darkness; people are lost, people are discouraged and heartbroken. God has called you into the body of Christ for service. Join in with your pastor, church leaders, and other members to make your corner of the world a place where Christ is proclaimed!
Pray
God, help us to see where we can partner with the saints in advancing the Gospel. Amen
Go with God!
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