PJ's Journal

I don't know about you, but I fall into the trap of being too critical of people sometimes. This is especially true of those who are in the ministry. Because they don't do things like I would do them, I find myself being critical and judging their motives. This is not a healthy thing to do. Listen to what Paul says about this: "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does that matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." Philippians 2:15-18 Who cares! The important thing is that Christ is being preached! Paul could rejoice or the successes of others whose motives might not have been pure because ...

"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ." Philippians 1:12-13 I think God's Word is incredible! Here you have a man of God explaining his own circumstances that may seem grim, undesirable, and depressing to the average person, but that was not the attitude of Paul. Paul was able to look at his circumstances and see how God was using it for Kingdom purposes. He had become a testimony to the greatness of God while in prison and people were taking notice. This testimony did not come about because of the circumstances but rather in spite of the circumstances. It was because Paul made a choice based on his knowledge of who God is and what life was all about. Paul knew his purpose and did not feel entitled to some happy, easygoing life! Not only was he a testimony to the palace guards, but his...

The Philippian Church seems to be one of those churches that you would want to be in.  In Paul's letter to that church, he has nothing but good things to say and is encouraged by the faith of the people.  These are a people that cause joy to rise up in Paul!  That's the kind of church I would love to be a part of, but they certainly were not perfect.  What do you say to a church where the people seem to "get it"?  How about encouragement to keep on doing the things they have been doing!  In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul writes: "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." Philippians 1:9-10 What I find interesting about Paul's prayer is his connection between knowledge, insight, and love.  Today when we think of love we tend to think of how we feel about a person.  We have grown to understa...

This blog is supposed to be authentic, and it is my desire to be a transparent person about my faith journey. I have not blogged since last month for several reasons...some good and some pretty bad! I have been struggling lately! I have allowed my heart to wander away from my God for the last three weeks. I have not been seeking the Lord in the mornings because of my heart's attitude. You know, I blogged about this last month. Our heart has a natural lean away from God because of our sinful nature and the Scriptures have told us to guard our hearts. Well, I have not guarded my heart very well. I have been very selfish and disobedient! I know that I desire God to be Glorified in my life, but at times I get caught up glorifying and gratifying myself. I spent some time talking to the Lord this morning. He is a Gracious God, and is able to bring about restoration after we have allowed our hearts to stray away. Over the last three weeks, I have known all the right things to ...