Ramesh C. Reddy
Editor in Chief
Hi everyone :)
May the Lord Jesus empower you and give you endurance now and forever knowing you can qualify for the things He has called you because of His work in your life! Amen!
Quiet Times (Psalm 119:169-176 and Philippians 1:19-24)
“May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise. May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word for all your commands are righteous. May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, Oh Lord, and your law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.” (Psalm 119:169-176)
“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.” (Philippians 2:19-24)
Observations:
I looked for words/phrases/sentences that were repeated.
I asked myself what is the hope
for?
I learned Paul was hoping to send Timothy to them soon.
I saw a cause-effect relationship here:
Because Timothy is sent to them, he can also be cheered, when he receives news
about them.
Why Timothy?
1. There is no one else like him.
2. He takes a genuine interest in the welfare of the Philippians.
3. He does not look out for his own interests.
4. He looks out for the interests of Jesus Christ.
5. Timothy has proven himself.
6. He has served with Paul in the work of the Gospel.
Interpretations:
I asked myself what does it mean to hope in the Lord Jesus?
What came to my mind is not wishful thinking but a genuine hope characterized by trusting in the Lord. I have been able to come to the conclusion that it is not wishful thinking but genuine trust based on what I have already learned about Paul from Ch 1 & 2. Also, he later states that he is confident in the Lord that he himself will be able to see the Philippians. Hope is characterized by his trust towards the Lord which is evidenced by the confidence he has in the Lord.
I find it very significant to learn about his hope and confidence in the Lord even while he is chained and shackled. That is a genuine relationship with the Lord not based on the circumstances of his life but because of who the Lord is and his own personal relationship with the Lord.
I saw six things about Timothy that Paul mentioned for his confidence in sending Timothy to the Philippians. They were all others-based rather than self-based.
Application:
I saw important implications for my own life.
If someone wanted to send me anywhere whether it is campus ministry, church, classes, etc related will they be able to think the same things about me?
Will they be able to say that there is no one like him?
Will they be able to say that I take a genuine interest in the welfare of others?
Will they be able to say that I look not for my own interests?
Will they be able to say that I look out for the interests of Jesus Christ?
Will they be able to say that I have proven myself?
Will they be able to say that I faithfully served in an area I was thrust in?
I believe those questions are qualifications to use when we want to send someone on an important assignment or give them an important assignment. My hope and prayer is that people will be able to say ‘yes’ to all those questions when they want me to do something ministry related or other areas related. I know there are other factors involved too!
I ask you now dear friends how would you qualify?
Dear friends, what I have learned is that with Jesus Christ in our lives and the personal relationship we seek to have with Him, getting to know Him and be known by Him, we can have a positive rating based on that criteria.
It is interesting that Paul used those qualifications to determine who to send to the Philippians. It is very well possible that others are using those qualifications in your life too to determine if you are the right fit for a particular assignment.
Friend, I believe those qualifications automatically flow out of a person’s life depending on the relationship they have with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ determines our own actions and good things flow out of our relationship with the Lord.
I have a lot to grow in still but I am glad there are certain areas I have been able to be involved in because of my love for the Lord. I love doing campus ministry reaching out to others with the love of Christ.
As many of you know, I have a full-time job out of the city and come back to Pittsburgh early in the morning because I live here and because of the ministry I love to do on campus. Even though I have a full-time job, I decided to keep my job as a Student Manager on campus because I love trying to get what students wants if we are able to in the cafeterias and most of all I try to make everyone smile.
I may not be able to directly proclaim the Gospel in the cafeterias but the way I live my life for others, I know Christ can be proclaimed. I thank the Lord for that!
Amazing how many awards I have received from students who have eaten in the cafeterias and those who have given me awards know my love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for them. The highlight for me has not been the awards but that they know that it is because of Jesus Christ in my life, I am who I am.
The awards I have received have been from students of different religions. I am so thankful I have been able to make an impact in their lives.
If I am having trouble in any of those areas mentioned above, I need to ask myself if Christ is in the center of my life or if I am in the center of my life. I want Christ to be in the center of my life.
We all can have a 'Yes' to those questions as we keep
seeking the Lord Jesus with our whole heart, asking Him to make His presence
known to us and living for Him.
You may feel like He is with you or not, but don’t base it on feelings when you
give your life to Him. Base it on faith, for the Lord Jesus promises to come and
make His life present in you as you surrender to Him!
Quality Under Awesome Lord Intensifies For You! (Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y)/”How would you qualify?”
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you so much for Timothy and how he has lived his life for you. I thank you that Paul was able to depend on Timothy to get things he needed to get done. I pray Oh Lord that you can depend on us for your honor and glory. I pray that we can be your faithful servants and put others before ourselves. Jesus, it won’t be easy but I thank you that when we seek you and love you, our love for you will flow out of our lives and impact others people’s lives because we have you. Help me never to leave you and go my own path. Forgive me Lord for the wrongs I have done and for the times I have not sought you with my whole heart. I am sorry Jesus. Come Lord Jesus and live in me. Make my heart your home Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for working in my life. Help me to be a good example to those around me and whatever your will, please give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Help me to prove myself for your glory rather than for selfish reasons. I thank you Jesus for all your help, for dying for my sins and coming back to life to save me. Thank you that you hear us and answer us. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
P.S. Check out the ZanyCrossword puzzle I created for you all.
It is interactive which means you can solve it online.
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