7.15- During the last 121 days

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7.15-


During the last 121 days of the quarantine there have been very creative ways for people to share their love for God and people.

One advantage of a separation due to incarceration, college, military deployment or vocational necessity is that the written words are able to penetrate the heart at a different level than the casual words might.

I was remembering today that times when we can’t communicate with people personally, we can communicate with them in other ways.

There are several things Jesus has done to keep our hearts from being troubled as His followers when He left earth and could not be with His disciples personally and physically.

He uses troublesome and fearful times to give us a peace that passes understanding.

He tells us that when we leave earth as children of God it means He has come to take us home.

He teaches us that though the world cannot see Him, His brothers and sisters can see Him spiritually.

He has sent us the Holy Spirit as the inside our hearts helper. 24/7/365.

In the case of the Apostle Paul, when he was imprisoned, he wanted to be personally with people, but since he couldn’t, he wrote some letters. These prison letters along with other writings of Paul’s have been very comforting to other followers of Jesus for nearly 2000 years.




Luke 1.

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [a]accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning [b]were eyewitnesses and [c]servants of the [d]word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having [e]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been [f]taught.




Philippians 1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Thanksgiving

1 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the [a]saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, [b]including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your [c]participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 [d]For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my [e]imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the [f]affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may [g]approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless [h]until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Gospel Is Preached

12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my [i]imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole [j]praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the [k]brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my [l]imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even [m]from envy and strife, but some also [n]from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition [o]rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my [p]imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will turn out for my [q]deliverance through your [r]prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

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