My Joy and My Crown #199

Philippians 2:15-16
15 ...so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. (NAS)

Ever hear the term: "throwing money down a hole"? It is usually used when you are wasting resources on something. You know the experience. The car starts breaking down on a regular basis. It begins to not just be oil changes and tires; but transmissions, motors, air conditioner compressors and suddenly you have spent more in repairs in one year than it would have cost to buy a new car. That is "throwing money down a hole". If you own a swimming pool, that within itself is throwing money down a big hole. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Thesalonica and makes a strange statement.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

1 Finally, brethren pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;

2 and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. (NAS)

Paul says: "Please make sure I don't spend my life and waste it on people who are not growing in their faith and commitment to Jesus." His prayer request to the Thessalonian church he was: Don't let me waste my ministry. Don't let me "throw money down a hole".

To the Philippian church he says: Philippians 4:1: "you are my joy and crown." (NAS) Another place Paul said to the Corinthian church: 2 Corinthians 6:1 "Do not receive the grace of god in vain." (NAS)

He indicates what we receive from God needs attention. Paul had planted the church in Philippi and had heard of their struggles. He desires them to mature in their faith. He wants to see the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

God desires the same from you. Don't throw your spiritual life down a hole by neglecting the grace of God that He has given to you in Christ.

____________________Today's personal note from Dennis


Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ


Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers. Sunday with God's grace, mercy and much help, I was able to preach three times in a row. All three services went well. Thank you for praying for me. The message from Genesis 31:1-16 entitled "Beware and Be Aware" centered on the struggles we all have with greed and envy. God blessed the message.


Sandy has been having some health issues with reflux. She had an endoscopy last week. The results were good; no problems. She also had a test to determine if her bladder cancer had returned. It had not and the urologist gave her a clean bill of health. We praise God and thank you again for your prayers.


Bennett had a band concert at school this week. He is ending his freshmen year of high school. We are so proud of him and his musical abilities. He plays in the percussion area. His school has an outstanding band program. As grandparents we are thrilled for his opportunities. He has a choir concert this week. Between school, homework and music he stays very busy.

Burke's band will play its last concert of the year next week. He plays the trombone and enjoys his music. Although Bennet is in high school and Burke in fifth grade they still have the same band teacher. He is great with the kids.


Collin finishes school this week on Friday. He is ready for summer. He finished his soccer league play on Saturday with a tie against the best team in the league. We enjoyed the games. He also took the NWEA test last week. He had the highest score on the math section in his entire elementary school. He loves math.


Sandy and I hope to spend a little time in the mountains of Arizona after Memorial Day. I know some of you think that Arizona is a big desert, but much of our state is beautiful mountains. A short two hour drive puts us in the mountains that are over 7,000 feet. Nice cool place to get away when it hits over 100 here in the Valley of the Sun.


I will be preaching again at First Baptist Church on June 17th and 24th. Again all three morning services. I would really appreciate your prayers for my study and prayer for the preaching itself. God has been good to keep me strong enough to preach His Word.


It is time for my quarterly CT Scans and Lab work. In the next three weeks the tests will be run. I meet the oncologist on June 25th. Pray for test results to be good. I also discovered this week that my oncologist of six years will no longer be taking my insurance. That means I will need to find a new oncologist. It will be hard to find someone who is aware of my type of cancer and my history. Pray for God's will to be done.


May God bless you today with renewed strength and hope. I pray for you that your faith might increase and that what God has given you will not be in vain.


I so appreciate you.  ~  DGW