Philippians 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

One thing I have learned is God is not going to give up on you, no matter what you are going through in your life!

I have been afraid of my life, near death in hospital, just plain scared out of my wits and even at the stage of wanting to give up on everything – but through every one of those stages, God was with me and got me back on track!

I continue to try to encourage others to seek God and be saved by our amazing, loving, faithful God who cares for each of us!

Philippians 1:12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

When bad things happen to us, they kind of wash all the goodness out of our minds and our hearts are filled with all the pain and worry that comes with the situations.

Paul did not allow what was happening to him outweigh the goodness which was coming out of it. He knew what he was going through would lead to God’s glory!

If we are able to have that same attitude to what happens in our own lives, we will be able to experience the same joy Paul knew in his life – the joy of Christ!

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

How many people do you know who invoke this feeling in you? Just the name of some people being said raises my spirits and gives me hope and fills my soul with joy!

And yes, they are Christians! There is just something about a few people in life which brings everything home and allows you to see God for who He is…

God loves every one of us and cares for us in ways we can only imagine. We need to share that love with others to build our communities with God in the middle.