Image from newlifenarrabri.wordpress.com
Listen to the narration here: https://bit.ly/3iw03kf
21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. 27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:21-30 NRSV)
Happy Tuesday, dear Friend! I pray this finds you well and brings a blessing to your heart, mind, and spirit! That's my prayer and I'm sticking with it! I thank you all for your prayers for those mentioned in the last few days. That is why we pray, because God answers prayer! If we could only get that message out to more people; can you imagine. I think silly things from time to time and I was wondering as I took my walk yesterday; I'm listening to my music by something I cannot understand or explain, bluetooth. And as cars drive by, the newer these cars are the more likely they have a bluetooth signal from their dashboard to their phone. We can't see bluetooth, but we can imagine if it were like a blue laser beam, we could lose focus on the road, in our homes! The same for the cell signal from towers to phones to other phones to towers; we cannot see cell signals but we know they're passing right through us; can you imagine if we could see prayers being lifted up? It would be an amazing sight! But I rejoice that what we can see are answered prayers on a daily basis!
We come to a new Epistle, the one from Paul to the church in Philippi. He writes from his heart, reflecting exactly where he found himself in the grand scheme of things; he was going to die soon. He knew it from his first day as a Christian; the Risen Lord Jesus revealed to him just how he, Paul, would die. And still, Paul said, "Great! Let's go! I'll do whatever you need to me to do, to go where you need me to go, to reach whomever it is you need me to reach - I.will.go. And, he kept one thought, actually, a reality, with him the rest of his life; Jesus is alive and He has promised that when I die, I would join Him. I believe Paul no longer had any fear of death from that point on; quite the opposite, he longed for the day to come when he would be with Jesus. Nowhere does he write, "I can't wait to see my mom again soon," or "My dad I know is going to grab me when I get there, and we're going to have a great time together again." Nope. He may have had those thoughts, but his heart, dear friends, belonged to Jesus. He saw Him. He talked with Him. He learned from Him, and he lived for Him. So, as he writes to this church, he shares his heart; "For me, living is Christ and dying is gain." He is convinced that death would not be so terrible as most of us have imagined. And you know this season of Covid-19 has made more than one of us think, with every scratchy throat or cough, or ache and pain, "Is this it? Do I have Covid and if I do, will I be called home because of it?" Tell the truth! Sadly, we know too many who have died that did not have the luxury of too much time to think about death because they went too quickly. And their families are still struggling with the suddenness of death. And that is true because of other reasons, but here's the point of this letter to the ancients in Philippi and to us; if you love Jesus, every day on this side is great, and if one day we wake up and we're on the other side, that'll be even greater. Paul said that every day he was alive was a day in which to work. And we're talking full day work, filled with excitement, about reaching souls for Christ! And while living, Paul writes, we should live our lives in a manner that makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ look good. Remember the scene from Men In Black, where the younger man puts on his black suit and when comparing himself to the older man says, "I make this look good!" We should have the same attitude about the way we live; our witness, our words, our greetings and farewells, our time with others should all make God look good in us!
Paul knew the Philippians had enemies, as do we, but we should not let whatever enemy we have, intimidate us; for the better we live, the tougher death they will have, and the more evidence we will share with the world the fact that we are saved! This is how God wanted it, and this is how we should be living!
PRAYER: Loving God, grant us what we need to make Your Gospel look good in a way that draws more people to You. We do that not by being holier than them, but by being more loving and accepting of the greatness of life as we find it in others. May this dear reader find inspiration in You to go forth and serve You. May we all be directed by Your Spirit to be faithful and fruitful; for it is in Christ Jesus that we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share the love!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
