Saturday March 6, 2021

Saturday – March 6th – Philippians 2:26-28  ---  

2:25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 
27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 
28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.

The Daily Walk Bible inspirational thought for Saturday:
      A PERSON CAN’T GO ANYWHERE WHILE HE OR SHE IS STRADDLING A FENCE.*

Hello and welcome to Saturday! The weekend is here, and the weather is outstanding. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy - wherever life takes you today and tomorrow. Our attitude about each step we take in life is really the only thing we can control. And if we are a ray of positivity then others around us will soak up what we send off. A sparkle in our eyes (use to be a smile on our face) can go a long way in helping someone have a positive day as well.

Paul is beginning to bring to a close his section of teaching on being surrounded by faithful and faith-filled workers for the Kingdom of Heaven. Interestingly, Paul had planned to send Epaphroditus immediately to Philippi and then eventually Timothy. Yet he chose to lift up Timothy first in this letter and now Epaphroditus. The story of Epaphroditus is both interesting and important to the cause of the Gospel. Early on while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, the church in Philippi desired to send Paul what we might call a “care package.” The Philippian believers gathered supplies and sent them to Rome by the hand of one of their own people -Epaphroditus. To the Philippians, Epaphroditus was a messenger who delivered a package. To Paul, however, he was so much more: a “brother” (belonging to the same family), a “co-worker” (laboring toward the same goal), and a “fellow soldier” (sharing the same trials). Epaphroditus was a man of obvious devotion, faithfulness, and self-sacrifice. He put “the interests of others” before himself and so doing modeled the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:4–5). He labored on Paul’s behalf until his own health broke, and, even when he was sick, Epaphroditus took no thought of himself; rather, he was distressed because his church had heard of his illness, and he didn’t want them to worry. While Epaphroditus is not a well-known name in most Christian circles he is a none-the-less a great example of a faithful and faith-filled follower of Jesus who was far from a fence straddler.

Blessings
  Pastor Jim
Sunday – March 7th – Philippians 2:29-30

Tyndale. The Daily Walk Bible NLT (Daily Walk: Full Size) (Kindle Location 12755). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

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