As high as the heavens,
so Your Gracious Love strengthens those who fear You.
The apostle begins the book of Philippians with a salutation that rings like true friends. "In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Phil 1:4. Paul prayed with joy. Yet, this city had treated Paul with great disrespect. Paul saw very little fruit from all his labor at Philippi. Paul doesn't care about what they did to him. Paul has Philippi in his heart. And so should we. It doesn't matter what people do to us. Keep them close. I was deeply offended today by a comment that ripped to my core. They would have never known that it was that personal. May I offer love and kindness and grace. Not usually our first response. May our love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Phil 1:9. Written 2,000 years ago for me on this very day.
Forgetting what is behind
Straining toward what is ahead.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.
Phil 3:13-14.
We don't quit the race mid-way, nor as we approach the end. We finish to win.
The apostle ends this book with praises to God and Father. Paul tell us that we should look upon God, from beneath all our weakness and fears, as Our Father. He is poised to ride the heavens to our help His children; He is disposed to pity His children.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.
Phil 3:13-14.
We don't quit the race mid-way, nor as we approach the end. We finish to win.
The apostle ends this book with praises to God and Father. Paul tell us that we should look upon God, from beneath all our weakness and fears, as Our Father. He is poised to ride the heavens to our help His children; He is disposed to pity His children.
PRAYER FROM PSALMS
For a high as the heavens above the earth, so is Your Gracious Love that strengthens every one of us to not quit this race, this wrestle to win. Strengthen us way down deep where it really counts that we walk by faith, that our love abounds in depth of insight. Psalm 103:11
They are supposed to find out what kind of cancer my friend Connie has tomorrow. It is either lymphoma or pancreatic cancer--one is very treatable, so we are hoping for the lymphoma diagnosis. Just didn't want you Pearls to think I had forgotten. It's been weighing heavily on me this week which is a great prompt to stop and pray. Thanks for your prayers for her and for her husband Mike tomorrow as they await the diagnosis and protocol ahead for her. Pray for her heart to believe and have faith, please, especially.
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