Observations:
I asked myself what does Paul's prayer consist of?
1. Thanking God every time He remembers the saints.
2. Praying with joy.

Observations:
I asked myself what cause-effect relationship do we see in Paul's prayer?BeCAUSE of the Philippians partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now,
the EFFECT is that in all his prayers for all the saints in Christ Jesus, He is always praying with joy!

Interpretation:
I asked myself why does a partnership in the Gospel matter so much to Paul?
It is because Jesus matters so much to Paul and His love for Jesus wants to be shown by His actions of proclaiming the love of Christ to others. And, he realizes he cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on his own while he is in chains, so he welcomes the help the Philippians are giving him. That is why he always prays with joy knowing the Philippians have partnered with him from the FIRST DAY he met them UNTIL NOW. Their partnership is not a one time-one day thing but consistent.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. I learned that true joy comes from having a partnership in the Gospel as I love Jesus Christ and want to make Him known. It should not be a one-day-one-time thing. I need to attain that partnership in the Gospel to give others joy especially the Lord Jesus Christ on a consistent basis. I should always make myself available to be in a partnership when it comes to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ instead of doing it alone. Paul did not go at it alone and neither should I.

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING PARTNERSHIP:

My best experience regarding partnership in the Gospel happened recently at Vacation Bible School when I co-worked with Pastor Hugo of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland as he played Paul and I played the Roman guard. I was glad to see God using both of us to make an impact in children's lives as we had a partnership in the Gospel for 5 consecutive days even though I did not start out as a Christian in the skit. For me having a partnership in the Gospel has not always been a smooth road but filled with conflict because of my attitudes which God is working in me. When a partnership is filled with conflict that is not healthy, it drains the other person too and ministry becomes futile and burdensome if there is not a conflict resolution. Paul was filled with joy because of a healthy partnership he had with the Philippians. I wish I could say the same of my partnership years ago with a brother named Paul and a sister named Chloe!

As I look back, I made it really hard for Paul and Chloe to have a partnership with me in the Gospel because of my attitude involving rebellion, critical attitude, covetousness, and complaining. I did not change and if I remained there, I would have hurt myself badly but thanks be to the Lord even though the discipline was very, very, very painful to me, that it happened. There are areas I still struggle and my mentors Pastor Hugo and Edwin Chan help me through them so I can have an effective partnership in the Gospel with them and others on a daily basis filled with the joy of the Lord.

One day, Lord willing maybe Paul, Chloe, and I can work together again forging a partnership in the Gospel for God's honor and glory. It is not just Paul & Chloe, I messed up with but also others. Yet, our Lord is so faithful and does not leave us in our weaknesses but sends the right people our way to work with.

I want to have a partnership in the Gospel that brings joy to the one I am partnering with just as Paul found joy in the Philippians and also joy to those who are the recipients of the Gospel as the children at VBS have been. I need the Lord's help in that.

I have been doing Pittsburgh Standard mostly on my own without having a partnership with anyone. I thank Jesus so much for having Edwin hold me accountable regarding finding others to partner with me in the newspaper so I am not burdened to do everything. As we prayed and searched, the Lord has been bringing people my way such as Marissa, Kristen, Kelly, Rick, Penn, Amy, etc to contribute articles.

A partnership can take different forms such as a prayer partnership, financial partnership, co-laborers partnership, etc. I don't know specifically all the types of partnership in the Gospel that Paul was thankful to the Philippians for but it was a partnership filled with joy. I want to give joy to others too when I am in partnership with them when it comes to the Gospel first and foremost. You should want that too because it is worth it and brings joy. Paul is an example that God has shown me through His Word.

I ask you now dear friend, how can you attain a partnership in the Gospel?
Dear friend, you can attain a partnership in the Gospel where you are even without moving many times. It starts involves a powerful 4 letter word: PRAY. You can be partnering with campus ministry staff, missionaries, pastors, etc by praying for them where you are that God can use them in His infinite wisdom, strengthening them to proclaim His love in Word and deed. You can also do that with a 5 letter word: MONEY by supporting them so they do not have to be burdened with financial costs but can focus on proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At other times, the partnership in the Gospel will involve moving and effort on our part where we are directly involved in ministry beyond PRAYING and FINANCIAL SUPPORT not ignoring them. Lest, I be misunderstood by some, I am not talking about self-effort. Apart from Jesus Christ, we can do nothing for we are the branches and our nourishment comes from Him and Him alone who is the Vine. (John 15)

We need Jesus to have a partnership in the Gospel. It starts with us realizing our own sinfulness and wickedness before an all Holy and Awesome God and taking His free gift of grace that showers us with His faithful forgiveness and redemptive restoration. I Praise you Lord. Thanks so much Jesus! Even praying and financial support should be done in the Name of the Lord for He is before all things and in Him all things hold together! (Colossians 1)

You and I need Jesus Christ and understand the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its impact to save if we want to have a direct partnership in the Gospel with others. For the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just about 'Jesus dying for our sin and coming back to save us' but addresses all facets of our daily life and being that can only be transformed by the power of the risen Christ through His transforming grace as Pastor Ed loves to put it. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that justifies us and also it is this same Gospel that also sanctifies us.

Until we come to realize our own worthlessness and have Jesus Christ work in us so we can do a F.A.C.T check: Be faithful, available, compatible, and teachable as Pastor Hugo says, our partnership in the Gospel will become futile and will damage people along the way instead of building them up. Take it from me for I have been there on both sides of the spectrum.

Come as you are and always rest in Christ and the power of His resurrection to transform you by His grace so you can begin a partnership in the Gospel. You do not have to have it all together to partner in ministry for God uses weak vessels to show His insurmountable glory and does not look for people who think they have it all together.

Jesus chose 12 ragged disciples who did not have it all together for His honor and glory showing His strength made perfect through their weaknesses! Praise the Lord!

Even if God chooses those who think they have it all together, He chooses those to bring them down for their own good, so they can depend on Him and Him alone. It happened to me and I thank the Lord for that.

We all need Jesus in our lives to fight the enemy so Satan does not control us in our sin but instead we are led by the power of the Holy Spirit who establishes the perfect partnership.

Speaking of partnership, I ask you now friend to have a partnership in life with Jesus Christ whose partnership will be the best partnership you will ever have. No matter what happens around you, when you rest in the arms of Love of our Lord and Savior, He will give you strength and wisdom to move on by His grace. So ask Him to reign in your life and in all your dream and you will always praise the Lord when He is central to your life. I want Jesus to be central in my life so help me Jesus. Thanks so much Jesus.

"But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,  and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:6-8, NIV)

Humble yourself under the mighty Hand of God and He will lift you up! (James 4:10, paraphrase)

Friend, only Christ can wash us clean by His precious cleansing blood and wants to do that for us to have a partnership with Him. That is so exciting to know! Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus! 

Our partnership in the Gospel should always start with spending time with Jesus everyday in prayer, meditating on His Word, and applying His Word in our lives as the Lord Jesus leads us to a Bible-believing church and fellowship where we do not forsake the fellowship of believer but join together as the apostles did in Act 2:42-47 for His honor and glory.

May you have a blessed partnership in the Gospel as you rest in the Lord God Almighty now and forever more remembering to pray asking Redeemer to nurture everyday readily so have indestructible partnership! Praise the Lord! Amen!

"Pray Asking Redeemer To Nurture Everyday Readily So Have Indestructible Partnership!"(P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I..P)/"How can you attain a P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I.P in the Gospel?"

Purpose of today's devotional is to understand what kind of partnership gives true joy and how to attain it.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for teaching me about partnership in the Gospel and how joyful Paul was because of the Philippians partnership in the Gospel even though he is in chains. Oh Lord, please help us to have a partnership in the Gospel that will bring others joy instead of sorrow. Help us Oh Lord by guiding us in your insurmountable wisdom for our lives that comes from above. Thanks so much Jesus. I need you so much Jesus. We thank you for dying for our sin and you choose to use us in our weaknesses just as you used your 12 disciples and Paul. Thanks for that opportunity. Help us to always rest in you humbling ourselves under your mighty hand so you lift us up. We pray asking you to nurture us everyday readily so we can have an indestructible partnership in the Gospel. Thanks so much Jesus. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

May you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.

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.

^"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)

^"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!