Today's Daily Lesson comes from Philippians chapter 1 verses
3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,* for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Paul is in prison. He can't do much now but pray, and write, and remember.
Yet he holds his hope that all these things matter; and he trusts that the seed he has sown in the hearts and minds of his followers will one day grow up to bear fruit for the sake of God's Gospel -- ARE growing up, in fact.
Things may seem bleak right now, beloved. But do not despair. The earth is full of good seed in good soil growing into its time. The harvest is not yet; and so you can't see much from afar. But pull up close, and you'll see things are happening in small ways that really matter.
Hold your hopes, friends. God is at work; and the beloved community is still worth believing in.
Ryon Price is Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
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