<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><div><div><br></div>Philippians 2;17&amp;18<div><br></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;Even if I am to be poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.</b></div><div><b>18. &nbsp;Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>I used to wash dishes at restaurants on weekends (and some week nights) while I was in high school.</div><div>The pay was pitiful, but it was the first real regular&nbsp;money I ever earned. &nbsp;My family was not rich and money was tight growing up.</div><div><br></div><div>The greatest part of my meager earnings all went to buy gifts for Kris,&nbsp;and pay for dates with her.</div><div>It made me happy to be able to give her things. &nbsp;Giving sacrificially for/to someone you love, is a cause for joy. &nbsp;Giving is joyful when love is the motivation.</div><div><br></div><div>So it is with Paul and the church at Philippi. &nbsp;The love of God at work in both Paul and the Philippian&nbsp;church made their sacrificial acts of faith and service a cause for joy. &nbsp;The sacrificial life of faith we have been made a part of, makes our offerings, (whether of time, money, or service) a cause for joy.</div><div>Love changes sacrifice into joy.</div><div><br></div><div>For Paul, even his impending death was a cause for joy. &nbsp;It was a witness to the Believers that there is someone/something in this life worth dying for, our Lord Jesus and his own Body the Church. It&nbsp;shows us that whatever is given to God is never lost. &nbsp;Even death cannot stop God from giving&nbsp;us&nbsp;life eternal which&nbsp;we partake of in Christ. &nbsp;<i>“O death, where is thy victory? &nbsp;O death, where is thy sting? &nbsp;The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. &nbsp;But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” &nbsp;</i><span>(1 Corinthians 15;55-57)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Is it not a wonder that out of death comes life, out of suffering sacrifice comes joy beyond measure?</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, increase our love for you and one another. &nbsp;Pour out the joy of Jesus upon our acts of sacrificial love for You and one another. &nbsp;Bless us to pray for our enemies and love them with Your own perfect love, for once we were Your enemies as well. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Philippians 2;17&18
17.  Even if I am to be poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.18.  Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
I used to wash dishes at restaurants on weekends (and some week nights) while I was in high school.The pay was pitiful, but it was the first real regular money I ever earned.  My family was not rich and money was tight growing up.
The greatest part of my meager earnings all went to buy gifts for Kris, and pay for dates with her.It made me happy to be able to give her things.  Giving sacrificially for/to someone you love, is a cause for joy.  Giving is joyful when love is the motivation.
So it is with Paul and the church at Philippi.  The love of God at work in both Paul and the Philippian church made their sacrificial acts of faith and service a cause for joy.  The sacrificial life of faith we have been made a part of, makes our offerings, (whether of time, money, or service) a cause for joy.Love changes sacrifice into joy.
For Paul, even his impending death was a cause for joy.  It was a witness to the Believers that there is someone/something in this life worth dying for, our Lord Jesus and his own Body the Church. It shows us that whatever is given to God is never lost.  Even death cannot stop God from giving us life eternal which we partake of in Christ.  “O death, where is thy victory?  O death, where is thy sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15;55-57)
Is it not a wonder that out of death comes life, out of suffering sacrifice comes joy beyond measure?
Prayer:  Merciful Father, increase our love for you and one another.  Pour out the joy of Jesus upon our acts of sacrificial love for You and one another.  Bless us to pray for our enemies and love them with Your own perfect love, for once we were Your enemies as well.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”
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