My prayer is that your fellowship with us in our common faith may deepen the understanding of all the blessings that our union with Christ brings us.

   Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of Life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

   The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

   May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ mightily bless each one of you, and give you peace. What a wonderful God we have - He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the One Who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials.

   Indeed we want to prove ourselves genuine ministers of God whatever we have to go through - patient endurance of troubles, hardship, desperate situations, being flogged or imprisoned; being mobbed, overworked, sleepless and starving; with sincerity, with insight and patience; by sheer kindness and the Holy Spirit; with genuine love, speaking the plain truth, and living by the power of God. Our sole defense, our only weapon, is a life of integrity, whether we meet honor or dishonor, praise or blame.

   Shall we not expect far greater glory in these days when the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the plan that leads to doom was glorious, much more glorious is the plan that makes men right with God. In fact, that first glory as it shone from Moses' face is worth nothing at all in comparison with the overwhelming glory of the new agreement. So if the old system that faded into nothing was full of heavenly glory, the glory of God's new plan for our salvation is certainly far greater, for it is eternal.

   Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Taken from Phil. 2, I Tim. 1, II Cor. 1, 6, 3, The New English Bible, The Everyday Bible,
The New International Version, The Living Bible and The Phillips Translation. For free
Lifescope book, write to Box 1575, Carlsbad, NM 88221. Send $1.00, postage/handling.