He Has Served Me
Like A Son
I
hope to send Timothy to you soon if the Lord Jesus allows it. Then I will be
cheered up when I receive news about you. I have no one else like Timothy. He
truly cares about how you are doing.
All the others are
looking out for their own interests. They are not looking out for the interests
of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself. He has served
with me like a son with his father in spreading the good news.
So I hope to send him
as soon as I see how things go with me. And I'm sure I myself will come soon if
the Lord allows it.
But I think it's
necessary to send Epaphroditus back to you. He is my
brother in the Lord. He is a worker and a soldier of Christ together with me.
He is also your messenger. You sent him to take care of my needs. He longs for
all of you. He is troubled because you heard he was sick.
He was very sick. In
fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him. He also had mercy on me. God
spared me sadness after sadness. So I want even more to send him to you. Then
when you see him again, you will be glad. And I won't worry so much.
Welcome him as a
brother in the Lord with great joy. Honor people like him. He almost died for
the work of Christ. He put his life in danger to make up for the help you
couldn't give me.
Philippians
2:19-30
Heroism is marked by
an unselfish risking of life for the benefit of another. Honoring fellow
believers for their unselfish service to God is a biblical mandate. It is not
hero worship, but an attitude of respect for a life well lived.
Through a word of
encouragement or a tangible expression of appreciation, who can you honor today
for their humbled valor in serving the Lord and helping others in His name?
Faith in
Christ can make extraordinary heroes out of ordinary people.
Our Daily Bread –