Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Philippians chapter one. We'll be working through the second part of verse 18 through 26. Philippians chapter one, verses 18 through 26. We'll start in verse 12 just for contextual purposes, and we'll go to verse 26, but we'll be focusing on verses 18 through 26. So Philippians chapter one, let's read together verses 12 through 26. The apostle Paul says, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that has become known throughout the whole Imperial Guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Here's our text. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, This will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage, now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death, for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again. Let's pray. Father, we are looking to you again now as we prepare to consider your word together And we're asking, Father, please, for your help. We're asking for the great intervention of your Holy Spirit in each and every one of our lives. Father, give us listening ears. Give us hearts that are attentive to your word. And Father, impact our souls such that these truths will not wear away. We confess, Father, that so often we have an instant zeal to do your will, a sense of desire to please you and a determination to make changes in our lives and yet it often grows dull and we drift so quickly and so we ask for your help. We ask for the movement of your spirit in us and that you would be pleased to reflect your glory in our lives by leading us to apply these truths and to carry them with us each and every day that we seek to finish the race that is set before us. So Father, please forgive us for our sins, be gracious to us, and meet with us now. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Having made our way into one of the main themes of the letter, we found the Apostle Paul seeking to comfort the Philippians concerning his prolonged imprisonment at Rome. And he did this by presenting them with a very positive outlook on his circumstances, showing how his imprisonment has actually served to advance the Kingdom of God. For one, Paul's imprisonment had opened up precious opportunities for those who served in the Imperial Guard so that they could hear the Gospel and that they would understand that Paul's incarceration was for Christ. And secondly, most of the brothers, we're told, had become bolder in their presentation of the Gospel because of Paul's imprisonment. Well, this morning we continue to observe Paul's positive outlook on his circumstances as he ponders the possible outcomes of his upcoming trial. Whether he is granted the opportunity to live on or whether his life is taken from him, he will, he is determined to rejoice. As we continue to walk with Paul through the lens of how he views his circumstances, may God provide us with great encouragement and hope and joy as we strive to take from his example and seek to apply it to our own lives in the preordained path that lies ahead of us. And so we begin then by considering first how Paul is determined that Christ would be honored in his body. having just expressed how he rejoices over the fact that Christ is preached, whether in pretense or in sincerity. Paul then moves on to state, yes, and I will rejoice. And he uses this as a lead-in to thoughts about the possible outcome of his upcoming trial. He says, yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Paul then further expresses his joy here, being confident that this present imprisonment is not permanent and that he will be delivered, he will be released by two connected means. There's two means that will be used to bring about his deliverance. First, Paul believed that he would be released through the prayers of the Philippians. In other words, God would use the prayers of his people to bring about the release of the Apostle. But then secondly, Paul believed as well that he would be released through the prayers of the Philippians and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. In other words, the Holy Spirit would be the active means of accomplishing the Apostle's release. And brethren, again, we're meant to view these two means as interconnected. They go together. The first, the prayers of God's people, are what draw upon the second, the aid of the Holy Spirit. And here again we see the mystical and essential necessity of prayer, and especially corporate prayer, the prayers of the joined body of Christ. Paul says, by your prayers, he's speaking to them as a local church body in Philippi, by your prayers I am confident I will be delivered. The Holy Spirit of God exhibits and exercises the power of God in bringing about the accomplishing of His holy will. The Spirit is the one who changes minds. He alters events. He empowers people. He provides wisdom, encouragement, and guidance, and everything else that is needed to unfold the glorious will of God. He exercises the power of God. And the prayers of the people of God are used by God unto the access and commissioning of the Spirit unto such ends. That's why Charles Spurgeon used to say that prayer is one of the necessary cogs in the machinery of God's providence. It's not that God needs or depends upon our prayers any more than he needs or depends upon preaching, but both have been ordained by God to be essential means of bringing his will to pass and the building of his kingdom. And so the Lord exhorted His disciples to pray with confidence, you recall, in the Gospels. He exhorted them to pray with confidence, knowing that God would liberally give His Spirit to those who ask. Remember when the Lord said that to them? When you pray, He said, keep knocking, keep asking. And just like a father is concerned for the welfare of his own child and would never give his child something harmful when he asks for something in need, well, all the more, our Heavenly Father, who is not evil like we are, will give what? The Holy Spirit to those who ask. And so there is the prayers of the people of God and there is the aid of the Holy Spirit who responds to those prayers and brings about the unfolding of God's will with power. As one final illustration, recall in Acts chapter 12, remember immediately following the martyrdom of the Apostle James, Herod was excited because he saw that the Jews were impressed by the fact that he had had James killed. with the sword and so he decided well if I arrest Peter and kill him as well the Jews will favor me more. He was trying to win their favor. He was an Edomite. He was not a Jew and so he was their king and he wanted to impress them because he knew that there was an uncomfortable relationship with him and the Jews. They wanted a Jewish man over them and so he realized that this could be an opportunity to earn the favor of the Jews. He had killed James and now he was going to kill Peter. And Peter, recall, when he was arrested, remember he was taken into the prison and he was chained between two soldiers. But it was during a prayer meeting that was taking place at the house of Mary, that is Mary the mother of John Mark, that an angel had freed Peter, leading him to the house where they were praying. Remember the comical scene where Rhoda, the servant girl, answers the door and she sees Peter and she slams the door in his face thinking he's a ghost. Because how can it be possible, even though we've just been praying for his release, how could it be possible that it actually happened? And he was released. And so God used the prayers of his people to free Peter, the apostle and brethren here, the apostle Paul expresses his confidence in the fact that God would secure his release from Rome through the prayers of the Philippians and the aid of the Holy Spirit. Brethren, let that encourage us to continue to commit to our weekly prayer meetings. certain that God hears us and that in ways beyond we can ever imagine. It's so easy, I know for me as well as we pray, to see it as something that doesn't seem to be anything that's major in some sense. It seems to be so small. as we pray together through Zoom in the present. And it seems like a small thing. And some are there and may not even be vocally praying, but you're there praying silently with us. And it could seem like a small thing. And you could begin to see it as something that you could you could do with or without, because it doesn't seem to be effectual. But it is effectual. God uses even our feeble prayers to unfold his will. It doesn't feel like much. We are a weak bunch meeting on Zoom in the present, but by faith we remain confident that God is accomplishing His will. He is dipping His sovereign hand into the altar of incense containing our golden prayers, prayers which are sanctified by Christ, prayers which are empowered by the Holy Spirit, and He is accomplishing His will by our prayers. Moving on. Paul adds these words, he says, as it is my eager expectation and hope. That I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage, now as always, Christ will be exalted or honored in my body, whether by life or by death. And so Paul rejoices in the usefulness of their prayers and in the help of the Holy Spirit. Notice, the Spirit of Christ he's referred to here, the Holy Spirit. Isn't that another affirmation of the deity of Christ? The Spirit of God is also referred to as the Spirit of Christ. And Paul knows and rejoices in the usefulness of their prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit, both of which he believes will secure his release. And more importantly, will enable him to remain faithful at all times, be it in continuing on in this life or in facing his death and departure from the world. He is confident their prayers and the aid of the Holy Spirit will lead him to be faithful either way. It was the Apostle's eager expectation and hope. It was his fervent desire. He anticipated, he expected it. It was his conscious focus to, above all else, never be ashamed of Christ and the Gospel. No matter what threat of law should come upon him, materially or physically, and to maintain full courage before all people, before enemies and governors and kings, indeed before Caesar himself. Paul said, now and always, such that Christ would be honored in his body by life for as long as he has breath. or by death when he is called to take his last breaths. In other words, brethren, Paul's primary focus in life, listen closely to this, Paul's primary focus in life, and at all times, no matter what the trajectory that lie ahead for him, whether it's known or unknown, in threat of suffering and even in the face of death itself, His focus in life was to ensure that Christ would be exalted and honored by his person. That was his focus. Whether he lived on or whether he died in the unknown to everything that he faced. That was the focus. The interpretive lens whereby the Apostle viewed all of life, known and unknown, was the lens that constantly brought the glory of Christ to the foreground where he could ask himself at all times, how can I glorify Christ at this very moment and at any and every necessary expense of my own? What was the question he asked? He didn't face providential circumstances and bang his fist into the wall or kick something across the floor. As he faced something head on, whatever it was, not knowing maybe the end result of what would happen, he would ask himself, as it were, how can I glorify Christ at this very moment and at any and every necessary expense of my own? If I live on, Or if I trek toward death, that question remains the same and is my first order of business, my modus operandi, the principle upon which all of life rests. I am determined, he says, toward this end, confident toward this end, and rejoice that your prayers and the aid of the Holy Spirit will secure me to this end. That was his goal. That was his mission. That was the question he asked. Can you imagine if we asked that question? Every time that we faced anything in this life, from the smallest things and events to the largest, immediately we stopped and said, before I complain, before I just see this event through the lens of temporal circumstances and the motives of those who are outside of Christ. If I stop and said, wait a second, how can I glorify Christ in this body right now? Whatever the outcome is, how can I glorify Him? How can I honor Him? Brethren, This is the very foundation and bedrock out of which Paul's next statement proceeds. We've all heard these words numerous times. We've said them. And it's a small little statement, but the meaning, the impact of what's here is so great if we can take hold of it. This makes up the very substance of all that is meant by this phrase. Paul says, for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. That word for there, when he says that, is not just there to make it sound nice. It is certifying the connection to what he has just said, what we just went over. He's giving, as it were, the governing principle that governs the entirety of his life in that small statement. For to me, he says, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Again, here we have the apostles modus operandi. This is the loaded short form of the utmost principle that dictated his entire life. It defined the apostle for that matter. And which lay at the very foundation of his joy. There are two very clear directions that we will go to in every trial that we face in this life. There's two very general directions. You're either going to live through it or you're going to die. Right? That's very general. You're gonna continue to live or you're gonna die. In a general sense, all things will move in either of those two directions. You will live on through this, you will live another day, or this will be the end of your life. But for the Apostle Paul, one single principle governed his thoughts, his motives, his words and actions, no matter which direction he was heading, either one. And this is why even the unknown path is covered, right? Because that's the greatest fear. I don't know where this is going to lead. Is this sickness going to lead to death? Is this going to lead to the end of our economy as a country? Am I going to continue on to live? Right? We ask these kinds of questions. We have the unknown. Will it lead to my release, the apostle would be thinking? Will it lead to my healing, we might think? Will it lead to more life or will this lead to my death? You see, what the apostle says here, no matter, I am still governed by the same principle either way. And here it is for me. My governing principle is this. To live is Christ. If I live on, if I go on living life, whatever that entails, regarding job, family, ministry, education, church, all things small and large, vacation, whatever it is, I am determined first and foremost at all times that Christ is to be magnified and glorified by and in this body. If I live on, that's my determination. In my suffering and in my health. In times of peace and in times of persecution and conflict. In my gains and in my losses. In my happiness and in my crosses. Whatever the case, every day, every moment, I aim to magnify and exalt Christ in this body. He has created this body. He has designed it and He has redeemed it. It belongs to Him and not me. I am his investment and I want to bring a return with everything that I am to honor and glorify my Savior. I want to be a large neon billboard that attracts people to Christ, that reveals Christ at all times, whatever the immediate consequences might be. Paul says to live is Christ. The world doesn't share that governing principle, does it? The world can fill it in with all kinds of other things. To live is this, is to pursue success, is to pursue the American dream, is to make so much money, is to obtain this kind of house, is to go on these kinds of vacations and to travel, is to have this kind of a family, right? It fills in all kinds of things. And so Paul doesn't speak for the world when he says this. But he doesn't let the world affect his settled conviction concerning the matter. He says, for to me, my governing principle to live is Christ. Reminds me a little bit of Joshua when he said, you guys can serve or you can serve whoever you want. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. But then secondly, There's a second part to that statement, isn't there? A second part to that governing principle. And to die is gain. If my life is set at all times to reflect the glory of Christ, that entails total sacrifice. That involves a losing of this life. That involves discomfort, inconvenience. That involves having been crucified with Christ so that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. It is Christ in my place. It is His will over mine, His mission over mine, His vision over mine, His kingdom over mine. That involves self-denial, inconvenience, suffering, pain, sorrow, and ultimately death. It's laying this body on the altar, as it says in Romans. Laying your body, all of your members on the altar. But, he says, if I live on, it is to be sold thou for Christ, holding on to nothing here. But, should I die? Indeed, when I die, to die is gain. All of the true everlasting heavenly rewards and benefits will be obtained when I leave off my last breath. Death is a gateway into eternal bliss and joy and glory. I no longer fear death any more than I fear coming into the richest inheritance. My decrease and suffering of loss is resigned to this brief flicker of a life. But my gain is just beyond death's door, where I am ushered into the blessed presence of my beloved Savior, and I am welcomed into the righteous, undefiled kingdom of the saints made perfect, and that without end. It's gain. This is why Paul could rejoice at all times. Paul, you might suffer hardship and pain and difficulty. You're in Rome. You're going to stand before Nero. To live is Christ, my friend. If I please magnify and glorify Christ through it all, I'm doing well. Pray for that. But Paul, he will stand before the Caesar. And what if you're put to death? Then Caesar is the means to my eternal gain. and therefore live or die, I make it my aim to please Christ. For to me, he says, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Following this statement, Paul then moves on to express his own wrestling through either trajectory, living or dying. It's interesting. You watch him. He's kind of wrestling, trying to consider the benefits of each path. What would he prefer, as it were? Live on or die? And he's kind of wrestling with that here. And they're viewing it in the letter. He says, if I am to live in the flesh, well, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I'm hard pressed. Between the two, my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account, he says in verses 22 to 24. Weighing out the advantages of living and dying, Paul begins by addressing the blessing of continuing to live. If God continues to grant him life in this world, he will have further opportunities to labor for the kingdom of God and to bring forth fruit to live as Christ. Serving the churches, preaching the gospel, exhorting and encouraging the brethren, rearing up ministers of the gospel, and et cetera, are all opportunities that are limited to this life. None of it comes without suffering, but the fruit is precious and everlasting in nature. Paul can still benefit the churches in a very present and personal way if he lives on. However, again, dying brings about eternal rest. and gain. The sword and the shield, the battle array and the armor can be put down. Suffering can be forever removed. Christlikeness can come to completion. Joy can meet its eternal fulfillment. Indeed, entering into the visible presence of Christ forever can be attained if Paul should cross over death's threshold. You think of Paul in Romans 7 when he talks about the battle, right, with the sin nature. And he talks about how he wills to do the things that are right. And he has that law in him to do the will of God. But he doesn't do what he wills. He does what he doesn't will. Well, that battle will be over then. And so what would he choose in theory? Were he given the option to remain or go? He says it's hard to say. He would be hard pressed between the two options. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is better. And in the Greek, actually, the way that that's worded is far better. It's not even something that you can interpret in English. The idea is it's much, much better. Weighing every material and physical blessing that is attained in this world, all of the material trinkets and designs in this life that are there. Remember, Paul's not living in our advanced age with electronics and all this stuff that we have. and all the fancy cars and things. They didn't have any of that. But Paul says, weighing those things into the equation, it's an absolute no-brainer. I would way, way, way, way rather depart and be with Christ if that's all it was that held me back. I would way rather go. This is not my home. This is a den of unsatisfying temporal fading trinkets enveloped in the grievous effects of sin's curse. There is, there, however, is eternal glory, completion in Christ, dwelling forever with Christ. No more tears or sorrow or pain or weeping or death. It is far better, far, far better to depart and be with Christ. That is my longing and greatest desire, he says. However, I am torn because to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. He says, I love you. I love the churches. And for the sake of being able to further minister to you, there is the necessity for me to continue on the flesh. Nothing in this world appeals to me. My heart is in heaven with my blessed and beloved savior. I don't care about any of the material things. But I am yet gripped by the desire to walk you all further into maturity as you trek heavenward. The only thing that would keep me here in any sense whatsoever, and it's still a battle, I'm still hard-pressed, is because I know that I could still serve the churches. And so for your sake, she says, I would remain for a time. But brothers, never be concerned about my ultimate well-being in this world. For I embrace death with both arms and with the whole heart as the entryway into the visible presence of Christ forever. Remember, Paul is trying to encourage them because they are concerned that he is in this imprisonment in Rome. He's under house arrest and it's prolonged. Years are passing and they don't know the outcome. And what's going to happen to Paul? What's going to happen when he stands before Caesar? They're not letting him go as it is. And Paul says, look, don't worry about me. There's been great things that have happened by my imprisonment. The gospel spread to the imperial guard. It is spread beyond that. The brethren are much more bold to preach the gospel. And you know what? At the end of the day, I'm not afraid to leave. I would rather be with Christ. Don't be concerned. And he's going to go on to say, instead, make sure you keep working on your sanctification. He's going to go on and say, as we'll see next time, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, et cetera, so that whether I leave or stay, whatever it is that you are pleasing, right, and so on. He wants to encourage them onward to focus on their path and not be concerned about him. He's OK. And so that said, for the benefit of the church, Paul would gladly remain for a time. And he was confident that his ministry would continue to this end, which is why he adds these words in verses 25 to 26. He says, Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again. And so again, being convinced that he will remain for the spiritual benefit and progress of the churches, and that his being released and even coming to see them again would actually increase their joy, leading them to glorify Christ with thanksgiving and praise. Paul expresses this confidence in them, this confidence to them that this will happen, that he will be released. He could see the great benefit of them praising God. It comes back again to glorifying God when they see him released. As he said before, through their prayers and the help of the Spirit of Christ, he believed that he would be delivered and free. Well, brethren, let me just bring this to a conclusion and leave you with some thoughts and an application for us, a little bit more direct. We've seen some application already in defining what these things mean, but let me leave you with something a little more direct. Brethren, within the private resources of your own heart, right now, ask this question. What is the governing principle that guides the whole of my life? And I need to ask that question. What is the governing principle? If I could sum it up in one statement, if somebody could look at my life at the last year, the last month, the last few years, And they could try to sum it up. Think of a movie. You have a movie that's an hour and a half long, right? And they sum it up in one piece of a sentence, right? And they try to sell you this movie. Well, what would be the sentence or two or paragraph that would define your life? What drives you forward through each day? If your life were to take a sudden turn in some unexpected direction, Such that it would never be the same tomorrow. Some illness. Some trial. The economic collapse of our nation. Shattered dreams. Crushed desires. Loss of property. Loss of anything. Loss of all things. Some major shift. Persecution for the sake of Christ and the gospel. Would the damage seem irreparable for you? I'm not saying would it be easy, but would it be bearable? Or how do you interpret even the peaceful and enjoyable moments of life? What is it that drives you forward? We're all operating out of something is driving us. There's some intended goal in mind, at least in a major sense. Now there are other things that come out of that secondary, but what is it? Can you say with the apostle Paul, in truth, understanding the true meaning of the terms as we've defined them, for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Can we say that? No, I'm not gonna ask you to answer that vocally. But you can be honest within your own heart and think about that. Do you mean those words, if you could say them? How do your decisions, your responses to difficulties and trials and opposition, how do they reflect that reality? Are you holding on to this life with a firm grip? Is there anything that you are unwilling to let go of for the sake of Christ, if necessary? Anything? Say, you know, I would get rid of anything but this. Is there anything that isn't this for you, for me? What is your greatest joy from which all lesser joys draw their very life breath and strength? To die. Would that be gain for you? How serious is your faith When the rubber meets the road, are there any limitations or boundaries to your faith? Because God will take you there. Are there any limitations or boundaries? Well, you know, I would go this far and I could lose all this and I can continue and follow the Lord up to this point. But boy, if it takes me beyond here. Are there any limitations or boundaries? How far will your faith travel? Is there a limit? Or will it continue onward even if there is nothing left remaining but your naked body? Better yet, will it continue onward through the threshold of death itself? We just got the news yesterday. We've been praying for little Teddy Cordoza. who was born with many deficiencies and lived 11 months and he just died, just passed. It was either yesterday or the night before. Didn't get to live the fullness of a life as we might define that, this precious child. But it was something I know that the parents would never ever go back and say, well, we should abort him. and not let him live for just 11 months as if to determine what is acceptable in the sight of God. If this is all there is, what was it for that child who just passed? Let us pray about these things and let us seek to be honest with God and ourselves as we pray about these things. We don't have to communicate with each other these things. And we all struggle in these areas. We are all fighting idols. We're all struggling against sin. Nobody is without fault. Paul was not without fault. And I don't want to present him in that way. But I am saying that was his modus operandi. That was his desire. That was his strive. That was his goal. That was his ideal. What are we striving toward? Now, after the apostle is released, because he is released. He is not too long after, within a few years of his release, he's arrested again. And he knows that this time he's not going to be released. You see it in Second Timothy. So he's arrested again a few years later when Nero is still Caesar. But he knows this time that there is no Whatever happens, you know, I'll glorify God and I know I'm going to be delivered by your prayers. He knows it's the end when he gets to Second Timothy, when he writes that letter. Second Timothy was written during the second imprisonment, and there the apostle knew that his days were numbered. But brethren, I want you to consider those precious words of his in Second Timothy, which proved consistent with the tone of his heart revealed here to the Philippians. Nothing's changed. Listen to these words in 2 Timothy 4, verses 6-8. We've heard them, we've said them. He says, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Paul has fulfilled his governing principle, to live as Christ and to die as King. Let's pray. Father, we are grateful to you for these letters and the hearts that are revealed to us in these letters. We know that the Apostle Paul was not a perfect man, but we know, Father, that he was driven for Christ. And we know that as we look at our own lives, that we are in a battle not only against opposition from without, but from within. and we are constantly being pulled toward the world. We are constantly creating idols in our hearts that need to be broken. It's a battle. But Father, we pray that we would be those who are consciously bringing ourselves back to this governing principle, that we could stop in the middle of any moment of the day, that whatever we face, whatever event we come to, whatever providential, whatever providential historical reality you bring to our path, we can stop and say, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. And even in the unknowns, Father, when we don't know what's up ahead, which can be very difficult, help us to have confidence in you because you know, and you've designed all things for our good and your glory, and help us to recognize that nothing changes. Whatever lies up ahead, to live as Christ and to die as King. Lord, we ask that you would impact us with these truths, that we would be a church here that lives out of that principle amongst many who are taught to lay hold of and value the comforts of this life. May we be among those who are faithful to the true word of God, not seeking to use your word as a blessing factory for material things here in this life. but seeking to apply it as the apostles had, as your son had, as those of antiquity have, recognizing that this is not our home, and that as we are here, it's not for the amassing of possessions, but it's to be at work in bringing glory and honor to our Savior. Help us, Father, to think about these things each and every day of our lives. Don't allow them to wear out from our hearts, we pray. In Christ's name, amen.