Phillipians 1 Selfish ambition?

15It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

When we read these verses, what comes to mind?
Television evangelism!
Most falsely preach that if you give to them you will be rewarded ten fold.
I've always wondered how God will deal with them but Paul also reminds us that they still preach the message of Christ albeit with selfish ambition. So rejoice, and let God deal with them in His time and His way.

Please continue to pray for each other so the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps us.

May our Lord bless you and keep His hand of protection over you and your family.

This article states over 90,000 Christians gave their lives because of their faith in Jesus Christ last year.
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/01/13/report-2016-worst-year-yet-christian-persecution/

Blessings, David

Check Your Pulse. James 3:13-16 NLT

James 3:13-16 NLT

True Wisdom Comes from God

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

God sees the heart. If we are happy for others blessing to their face and jealous in our heart, God sees it. When we let jealousy into our heart, we allow Satan to get a foothold and that jealousy takes root and grows into bitterness.
Bitterness's roots encircle the heart and strangle the life out of it. This strangling turns the heart hard. 

Next time you hear of another's blessing, check your pulse. Is your heartbeat slowing due to bitterness roots growing or speeding up with true joy for their blessing? Ask God for wisdom and understanding so you can live an honorable and humble life pleasing to Him. 

Blessings, Cecilia

Are you moved with compassion?

James 4:17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it,
to him it is sin. Luke 10:33 But a Samaritan (foreigner), who was
traveling, came upon him; and when he saw him, he was deeply moved with
compassion [for him]

There are different kinds of sin that we commit regularly. The active,

purposeful sin, the unknown sin and the sin of omission. The sin of

omission is the act of not doing what you are suppose to do, what is right,

for one reason or another. The Lord Jesus spoke of a man that was beaten

and bruised, stripped and robbed, on the side of the road. Two people

walked by and did nothing. Then a Samaritan came by and was moved with

compassion. There are many things that I believe keep people from doing

good, doing what is right. The busyness of life, being so caught up in

their own life that they forget other people need help. Brethren, we are to

be people that are focused on God's kingdom and not our own. I pray that

God opens all of our eyes to see what He would have us do, focus on the

people around us in need, and be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Douglas 

Who do you love?

Gen22:2 God said, “Take now your son, your only son [of promise], whom you
love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Matt22:37 And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Luke14:26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and
mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his
own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in
comparison with his attitude toward God]—he cannot be My disciple.

Who do you love? Loving Jesus more than life, more than everyone and

everything is not easy. Jesus stated that if our love for people is more

than our love for God we cannot be His disciples. Throughout my Christian

walk I have contemplated these words many times. I look to other scriptures

where Abraham was given specific instructions to sacrifice his son of

promise and was obedient. I read and re-read the words of the Lord Jesus

and feel like such a failure, not knowing if I love Jesus enough, and not

just enough, but more, more than anyone and anything else. When I go to

sleep at night, I want to believe that one of two things will happen in the

morning. I will wake up another day closer to heaven or I will wake up in

heaven. I want to love God more than anyone or anything else. I want it to

be seen by my love for Jesus and I ask that God fill me with Holy Spirit to

be able to do it. And not just me, but all of His children, in Jesus

precious and powerful name, amen.

Douglas 

Phillipians 1 How much interest are you earning?

Paul's Trials Advance the Gospel
(James 1:2-8)
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard (a) and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

Do your circumstances serve to advance the gospel?

Paul was in prison but the whole palace guard AND everyone else knew that he was in chains for Christ. Yes he preached the gospel to them while in prison. Paul set the example and the brothers were following it by becoming more bold for Christ without fear.

If Paul could evangelize while in chains can you at least evangelize while free?
Or are you afraid you will be rejected like Jesus was to the Jews at His trial?

Brethren, time is short. When you stand before God, how much interest will you account for with what He has entrusted you with?

Matthew 25:25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?

Blessings, David

Who is Jesus to you?

Who is Jesus to you. Is He Lord of lords and King of kings, or is He just
Jesus? For me and I am sure for many others, there have been times in my
life that Jesus has become common, just like anyone else I spend time with.
From the day of His birth, it was announced by angels that He is "Christ
the Lord". In Romans, it is stated that the way to be saved is, "confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord". In Colossians, "do everything in the
name of the Lord Jesus". Jesus was never a simple man, and yet I know that
there are times that I have separated His humanity and His deity. Jesus is
my Lord. I may not always reflect it, but I tell you all today, I am going
to do my best live like it and proclaim the "Lord Jesus" to everyone I can.

Douglas 

Painful But Necessary. Hebrews 12:5-11

Hebrews 12:5-11
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said,

“My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline,
and don’t give up when He corrects you.
6 For the LORD disciplines those He loves,
and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)

7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

The trick of good discipline is to never discipline in anger. Every parent has made that mistake. Unfortunately, when we discipline in anger we tend to over discipline. Then, we have to stick by our word or we become ineffective. 

Fortunately, God is the perfect disciplinarian. He never disciplines in anger, is always effective and can exact the correction He desires through His discipline. Just as a good parent disciplines because of their love for us, God disciplines because of His love. God's correction is painful but necessary to produce the fruit of righteous living according to God's will for our lives. 

Blessings, Cecilia