SCRIPTURE:
“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.” (Philippians 2:19-24, NIV)

Observations:
I looked for words/phrases/sentences that were repeated.
1. I hope in the Lord Jesus.
2. I also may be cheered.
3. I receive news about you.
4. I have no one else like him.
5. I see how things go with me.
6. I am confident in the Lord.
7. I myself will come soon.

I asked myself what is the hope for?
I learned Paul was hoping to send Timothy to them soon.

I asked myself what the cause-effect relationship here is?
Because Timothy is sent to them, he can also be cheered, when he receives news about them.

I asked myself why Timothy?
1. There is no one else like him.
2. He takes a genuine interest in the welfare of the Philippians.
3. He does not look out for his own interests.
4. He looks out for the interests of Jesus Christ.
5. Timothy has proven himself.
6. He has served with Paul in the work of the Gospel.

Interpretations:
I asked myself what does it mean to hope in the Lord Jesus and its significance?
What came to my mind is not wishful thinking but a genuine hope characterized by trusting in the Lord. I have been able to come to the conclusion that it is not wishful thinking but genuine trust based on what I have already learned about Paul from Ch 1 & 2. Also, he later states that he is confident in the Lord that he himself will be able to see the Philippians. Hope is characterized by his trust towards the Lord which is evidenced by the confidence he has in the Lord.

I find it very significant to learn about his hope and confidence in the Lord even while he is chained and shackled. That is a genuine relationship with the Lord not based on the circumstances of his life but because of who the Lord is and his own personal relationship with the Lord.

I saw six things about Timothy that Paul mentioned for his confidence in sending Timothy to the Philippians. They were all others-based rather than self-based.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. My purpose for living should be others based and I need to ask myself if someone wanted to send me anywhere whether it is campus ministry, church, classes, etc will they be able to think the same things about me as Paul did about Timothy?

Will others be able to say that there is no one like him?

Will others be able to say that I take a genuine interest in the welfare of others?

Will others be able to say that I look not for my own interests?

Will others be able to say that I look out for the interests of Jesus Christ?

Will others be able to say that I have proven myself?

Will others be able to say that I faithfully served in an area I was thrust in?

I believe those questions are qualifications to use when we want to send someone on an important assignment or give them an important assignment. My hope and prayer is that people will be able to say ‘yes’ to all those questions when they want me to do something ministry related or other areas related. I know there are other factors involved too!

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y:
This past Sunday, Pastor Hugo gave a sermon on outreach with the Gospel and asked responses to how we would answer two questions from Scripture: 'Who are you Lord?' and 'What shall I do Lord?' My response was Jesus is my Lord and Personal Savior and 'But, life is worth nothing to me unless I use it to do the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others about God's mighty goodness and love' (Acts 20:24, TLB)

Both responses were others based and as I thought about Pastor Hugo's sermon, it reminded me of how we qualify when we put Jesus first, others second, and yourself (us last) or J.O.Y!

Pastor Hugo shared about the couple Ruth and David that he had met and how David qualified to preach the Gospel. David's qualification was not necessarily in all the training and knowledge he obtained but his qualification to preach was based on what Christ was already doing in his life and his willingness to have a F.A.C.T check: Faithful, Available, Compatible, and Teachable. David had a passion for the Jewish people in South Carolina and would spend his time ministering to Jewish people with the Gospel. When Pastor Hugo asked him something to the effect, 'why don't you finish your seminary degree before you go to preach', David's response was 'If the Lord takes me, I don't want to be the one to say, Lord, I did not preach the Gospel and reach out to others because I was waiting for my training to be done'.  Even as he was taking classes, he decided to go out in faith in his spare time with what He knew about the Gospel from Scripture and started preaching. He even took an internship in Israel to preach to reach out to the Jewish population. In his spare time, he reached out to Chinese construction workers there. One day he became seriously asthmatic and fell into a coma and died. His funeral was attended by so many people that it was a shock.

David qualified to reach out to others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ because first and foremost he understood, 'Who are you Lord?' and "What shall I do Lord?' and acted upon them with the help of Jesus Christ.

Now David's wife, Ruth is going through seminary to finish what David started. Wow! What an exponential effect!

The Apostle Paul is able to see the preaching of the Gospel and outreach to others in Timothy because of the six qualities Timothy displayed which made me think about David too. I want others to be able to say that I exhibit those six qualities in my daily living. Sadly, the answers to those questions have not always been 'Yes' in my life especially 1, 3, 5, & 6 even as recently as end of April. The Lord Jesus is working in my life and I need Jesus' help to be able to do that. You should strive for others to talk about you in those six qualities to.

When I think about my friend Chandra, these six qualities come to my mind the way she lives for the Lord and for others. I am blessed to have her in my life and need the Lord's help that I can be a blessing to her too as she has been a blessing to me.

I ask you now dear friends how would you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y in other people's lives?
Dear friends, with Jesus Christ in our lives and the personal relationship we have with Him, getting to know Him and be known by Him, the qualifications Paul saw in Timothy can be seen in us too so others will be able to say he/she has the qualifications of Timothy because of his/her relationship with the Lord exhibited by their actions.

Those we come in contact with should answer 'yes' to these questions without hesitation:

Will they be able to say that there is no one like us?

Will they be able to say that I take a genuine interest in the welfare of others?

Will they be able to say that I look not for my own interests?

Will they be able to say that I look out for the interests of Jesus Christ?

Will they be able to say that I have proven myself?

Will they be able to say that I faithfully served in an area I was thrust in?

It is interesting that the Apostle Paul used those qualifications to determine who to send to the Philippians. It is very well possible that others are using those qualifications in your life too to determine if you are the right fit for a particular assignment.

Friend, I believe those qualifications automatically flow out of a person’s life depending on the relationship they have with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ determines our own actions and good things flow out of our relationship with the Lord.

I have a lot to grow in still but I am glad there are certain areas I have been able to be involved in because of my love for the Lord. I love doing campus ministry reaching out to others with the love of Christ. I may not be able to directly proclaim the Gospel in the dining services but the way I live my life for others, I know Christ can be proclaimed. I thank the Lord for that!

I also thank the Lord that the students who have given me awards for taking care of them in the dining services before they left Pitt know my love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for them. The highlight for me has not been the awards but that they know that it is because of Jesus Christ in my life, I am who I am. The awards I have received have been from students of different religions. I am so thankful I have been able to make an impact in their lives.

If I am having trouble in any of those areas mentioned above, I need to ask myself if Christ is in the center of my life or if I am in the center of my life. I want Christ to be in the center of my life.

We all can have a 'Yes' to those questions as we keep seeking the Lord Jesus with our whole heart, asking Him to make His presence known to us and living for Him. Praise the Lord! Amen!

"Quality Under Awesome Lord Intensifies For You! (Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y)/”How would you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y in other people's lives?”

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, thank you so much for Timothy and how he has lived his life for you. I thank you that Paul was able to depend on you Lord to send Timothy to get the things he needed to get done. I pray Oh Lord that you can depend on us for your honor and glory. Thank you for the example that Pastor Hugo shared about David & Ruth.  I pray that we can be your faithful servants and put others before ourselves. Jesus, it won’t be easy but I thank you that when we seek you and love you, our love for you will flow out of our lives and impact other people’s lives because we have you. Help me never to leave you and go my own path. Forgive me Lord for the wrongs I have done and for the times I have not sought you with my whole heart. I am sorry Jesus. Come Lord Jesus and live in me. Make my heart your home Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for working in my life. Help me to be a good example to those around me and whatever your will, please give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Help me to prove myself for your glory rather than for selfish reasons. I thank you Jesus for all your help, for dying for my sins and coming back to life to save me. Thank you that you hear us and answer us. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Part of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!