"Advancement in God's Kingdom!"
"Pray for an Increased Harvest!"
by Jake Tribble
Phillipians 1:9-12 (New International Version)
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christto the glory and praise of God. Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel."
It is evident by these scriptures, that the Apostle Paul was devoted and dedicated to the spiritual growth and wellbeing of the disciples within the church.
While imprisoned and persecuted, Paul remained steadfast to the calling of God upon his life, praying for other Believers in Christ, studying God's WORD and writing to them as inspired by Holy Spirit, for encouragement and inspiration in the ongoing work to be done in God's Kingdom.
Each day of my life, God is continually transforming me into the likeness and character of Christ, and just as Paul said in Phillipians 3:12-14,
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
It was not merely a great joy for Paul to pray for others, but as he says, he received great comfort from Holy Spirit, in knowing that other believers were also seeking the advancement of the gospel throughout the world, regardless of the pesecution and opposition they faced as he had.
Regardless of an earlier prophecy given to Paul, by a prophet named Agabus in Acts 21:10, that he would be bound hand and foot because of his persistance in preaching the Gospel of Christ, Paul nonetheless continued preaching and teaching up to and even after that prophecy was fulfilled by God.
Prophecies are given to believers by God's Spirit through the mouths of HIS Prophets, and many times are conditional as to their fulfillment depending upon the actions of the person who received the prophecy.
God created in each of us a will to choose, whether to accept and believe the Gospel of Christ, or to reject and deny HIM as Lord and Savior.
Paul choose to obey the calling of God upon his life, regardless of what was to come by way of persecution, because he knew what the prize for his continued Obedience and Faithfulness would be!
He prayed 2000 years ago for each of us to answer God's call, and be diligent in the Kingdom Work, as God's servant striving and laboring for an Increased Harvest, knowing the reward was far greater than any riches or wealth to be received in this world.
O'Lord, I hear YOUR Spirit speaking,
calling me to labor in YOUR fields of harvest!
I pray now that YOU will send others,
who will answer YOUR call to serve!!
Bear me up with YOUR
Power and Strength to endure
the trials and temptations
that I face each day!!!
YOUR WORD is a Joy and a Comfort
to my soul during all of my labors!
Praises and Thanksgiving to YOU,
O'Lord of heaven and earth!
Amen!
God's WORD must be copy Written and Duplicated.
Written upon our hearts, Duplicated in our LIVES!
