Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Gives Healing that Comfort


Philippians 2:21-30
v. 29: “So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,”

In this passage, we see two godly people loved by Paul: Timothy and Epaphroditus. They brought joy to Paul in his ministry.  They were good resource people to him and were able to be dependable.  When we look at Timothy, he is seen like a son to Paul. Paul described him as in v. 20 by saying “there is no one else like him”.  Timothy was a tested workman; he was able to prove himself to Paul as a genuine person with genuine concern for the ministry.  Timothy was a humble evangelist and slaved along with Paul.  He was compassionate and Paul reminded the people of Philippi that he will show genuine concern for their welfare.  Timothy was a man who worked to consider others above himself.
 
Epaphroditus is a name from a pagan background which means ‘lovely’ or ‘charmful’. Paul calls him brother, even despite his non-Jewish background whereas Paul’s background was a young man seen as a zealous of pharisees.  They were not only laboring together for the sake of the Gospel, but also suffered together, side-by-side, in the persecutions.  Paul wanted the community in Philippi to know that although Epaphroditus was ill, God had mercy on him and is well.  And bringing him to Philippi would bring joy to the Philippi community.  Epaphroditus was a committed man who travelled by foot long ways and persevered for the sake of the Gospel.
 
Paul suffered a lot throughout his ministry, but God provided him with strength and encouragement through fellow co-workers like Timothy and Epaphroditus enabling him to remember God’s presence in his life and thereby also encouraging others through his letters.  During this Lenten period, we should also be able to remind our fellow Christians throughout our faith journey that we can encourage one another and persevere together despite life situations so that we can focus on our goal, that is to glorify God in all that we are.
 

Prayer
Triune God, guide us to live wholly for You, to persevere for You, and help us to be an encouragement to those around us so that they can also focus their lives direction to point to You.  In Christ’s name, we pray, Amen.




Thought for the Day
"We are never defeated unless we give up on God." -President Ronald Reagan
 

Rev. Jess M. George
N.E. Region Youth Chaplain

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