"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now."
- Philippians 1:3-5
 
When Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane faced the crisis of the Cross, He prayed fervently to His Father in haven, but being human as well as divine, He also looked to His disciples for sympathetic wakefulness. We sense deep disappointment in His question to them: "Could ye not watch with Me one hour?"
 
How different the experience of the Apostle Paul when He wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. He was in prison. An uncertain fate, possibly death, awaited him. Through it all he had the . . .

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now."
- Philippians 1:3-5
 
When Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane faced the crisis of the Cross, He prayed fervently to His Father in haven, but being human as well as divine, He also looked to His disciples for sympathetic wakefulness. We sense deep disappointment in His question to them: "Could ye not watch with Me one hour?"
 
How different the experience of the Apostle Paul when He wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. He was in prison. An uncertain fate, possibly death, awaited him. Through it all he had the promise of God; "My grace is sufficient for thee." But he was also sustained by the thought that the Christians had a deep affection for him and wholeheartedly co-operated with him in the task of building up the kingdom of the Savior.
 
Our pastors today carry heavy responsibilities as undershepherds of Jesus. God alone knows the conflicts that take place in their hearts. Conscious of their own weakness, they call upon God for His wise guidance and never-failing strength. But, being human, they also are affected by the attitude of those to whom they minister. It makes a great difference to his spirit whether he today preaches in a church in which there needlessly are quite a number of empty pews whether a crowded sanctuary testifies of real love for the Word of God and the tasks which God ahs entrusted to the Christian congregation.
 
Christian friends, May your pastor have reason to say to you: "I thank God upon every remembrance of you."
 
It is my pastor's joy in life to find
At every turning of the road,
The strong arms of a friend so kind,
To help him onward with his load.
 
Thought for the day - We all need the helpfulness provided by friends, each of whom brings something of value into our lives.