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“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” Philippians 1: 27- 30 ESV

I repeat these words several times a day, it’s week 5 of the P2R project; and I just can’t do it fluently. I stop and see my imperfections, the cracks in my own life. I not always live my days, my minutes worthy of the gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit reminds me of some hidden sins in my heart (some of omission). The light of the Word pierces into those corners of my life where darkness has found a place; God grants me the gift of repentance and darkness is overcome. Sanctification is a gift from God; the Father has not only called us to be His own and justified us; but He is working in us day by day; His Light piercing the darkness in our hearts. This is the Gospel, good news for sinners who repent and believe in Him who on the Cross conquered death. (And here I would add… If you don’t read your Bible, if you don’t expose your soul to the Light, how would you expect to grow in Him?)

What are those words that come next? “…It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake”  Why they can’t be found in a “Book of Promises”?

At the table I tell my children and my Beloved, with a lump on my throat, “I have never suffered for the gospel… I pray, O how I pray, that if such a day comes to me; I will be joyful, and count it as a blessing, as gift granted by God.”

I mutter all the words in chapter one; and I can clearly see that the only way for me, for you, to count every trial, every suffering as a gift from God is to live beyond the time line in which we are bound. We must live with our eyes fixed on Jesus; longing to be with Him…“for that is far better”, far better than anything this world could offer us; far better than anything we could have ever imagined!

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Read my friend Anne’s reflections on her memory project here.
and listen to Aaron recite chapter one here.
Be encouraged, dear friend, you can start today! Read about P2R here.

This post is linked to the photography {word} prompt at Three.