For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Philippians 2:26
When the church at Philippi heard that Paul was in prison, they gathered an offering for him. Epaphroditus was selected to deliver the gift. He stayed on and served Paul with complete devotion. He became ill but was spared by God's grace. No matter how exciting it was to be with Paul and how greatly Epaphroditus desired to serve this man of God, there were times when he longed for home.
Separation from home and loved ones seems quite commonplace today. Families are separated by educational needs, by military service, and by occupations and services that take some family members far from home. The church also separates families by sending people to serve in distant lands all over the world.
Although absorbed in the services they render and in the needs they desire to meet, there are still moments when missionaries think of home and family. There is only one who spans the miles, to whom the mountains and rivers, the jungles and oceans are no obstacles. He will never leave nor forsake them.
These, our friends, represent us, our families, our nation, and our church in faraway places! It is our privilege to pray to the Lord on their behalf.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, we want to be like faithful Aaron, holding up the prophet's hands. Help us always to support Your missionaries with our prayers and gifts; for Jesus' sake. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 36 Daniel 1-2 Titus 1
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