...as nigh in our minds....

 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same suffering that we suffer.  Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

1 Corinthians 1:7

I would not trouble you with our torment unto death at Caesar Philippi, but rather edify you to your own good purpose; rejoice furthermore as we live to contest again for the cause of Christ, and the message of the power of Christ crucified.  For we glory in tribulation, and as we know of these things, its a narrow turn-around time so often, such that we must go forward boldly, and with the crowing of the cocks and the milking of the cows.

Lamented our very lives in Caesar Philippi, we did, but it was for the cause of Christ, and a case for mercy.

As ever, the Kingdom is at hand--God's glory as nigh in our minds as our senses, and in our hearts, we sit near the throne and plead the cause Kingdom and ongoing mercy.

The cause of Christ is what some call the "constant regeneration" or the constant "generation" of Christ, Christ being manifested within us through our attitudes, our prayers, our own plea of mercy and the hands we extend to the cause of peace.

Forget not the parakleton, the helper sent by Christ: the Holy Spirit; let love abound.  Indeed, with such a peace and joy in our hearts, we could fret only for the cause of the peace and joy of those in the diaspora.  If they knew this love, peace and joy would manifest within them, and so much, if the world were not obviously better, it would be at least quieter, and happier.

of an abundance of love, the mouth speaks.

from the daily bible devotionals:  "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."  -Philippians 1:2

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you..."  -Philippians 1:3

Love you all, and out of an abundance of love, the mouth speaks.  

Glory to God.

"Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife."  -Proverbs 17:1.

  
Sometimes, its the Christian in the room that has to stand-up and get loud for the cause of peace, my friends.  

"Let patience have its perfect work."  

Love someone today; speak words of kindness and patience.

Glory to God.

Psalm 116 and other from the daily readings, and the weather spoke up to me...

I love the LORD because he has heard

my appeal for mercy.

Because he has turned his ear to me,

I will call out to him as long as I live.

-Psalm 116:1-2 

 

A sure sign from the Lord, a brief sprinkle on the local plant life, as I prayed over a personal situation here at the hill.  The sprinkle came and went, then did it all over again, giving the plants a brief feeding of nourishing rain water.

Meanwhile, on the northern horizon I saw blue sky, even in the midst of overhead rain clouds.  Truly, forces larger than I were at work, and having their way.

I continued to pray, and included some friends, various types, in various states of worry and even joy.  Some addicted, some downhearted, others doing perfectly okay.

Sure, I am, that everything will come together as God wills it, and sure am I also that he will not ignore the petitions of those who believe on Him.

 

I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.

In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

-from Philippians 3

The book of Philippians stands as a book where Paul defends himself, and speaks up for the case of suffering.  He states that he has a cause and hope, and in life, when we have love and hope, often not much else matters.  Paul defies circumstances and stands content in the Good News.  His faith in God and Jesus sustain a kind of level of joy in him, despite physical illness, or other circumstances.

In my own walk, my faith has done the same for me: it's pulled my spirit away from the present conditions, and made me think of only God.  Then I am stronger, happier, and all-around more of a good believer, who is useful and happy.

Paul thanking God for the Body of Christ.

"I thank God upon every remembrance of you, 

always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now..."

-Philippians 1:3-5

verse of the day: nov 8, 2022

 

Wellness and even Buddhists talk about mental presence and awareness.  Christ is his earthly bound-days had something that brought sort of a peak mental awareness; imagine him fasting and spending hours in prayer.

I like to think Christ and God are not just love, but also an awareness: a generosity, but a mental presence that feels all those interconnections.  I apologize for sounding mystic, but I remind that, as in the book of Philippians, I am equal to much, because my faith in Christ strengthens me.