Marquita Lawson

We Christians are to "hold fast" the Word of Life or it will be lost to us. We are to "hold forth" this 'Word of Life' so others may have hope for eternal salvation. It is the purpose of the church to please God and to share His living word with all humanity.

By ceasing the complaining and arguing enables a church to shine as stars in a dark sky because they will demonstrate just the opposite... Joy and Love, Unity and compassion which signifies the light that is within us, that is the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.

We must stay focused, being sure what the goal is, not allowing ourselves to stray. God knows our hearts and to please Him, we do His will alone, with friends and family and in the church. This does not give us the freedom to sin, as we will suffer the consequences. It gives us the freedom from the eternal consequences of sin when Jesus Christ returns.

I was sad and lonely but then Christ gave me a job to do for His kingdom. Oh, how it has blessed me. Now, I am always eager to live by faith, because I know it pleases God. It gives me confidence. The drive to fellowship with the brethren and helping others understand that Christ is God seems to have become the air I breathe. So, to live in my body is for Christ and the moment I die in this body, I will be in the presence of the Lord. Glory to God!

Fear is an evil lie. It casts a dark shadow and touches all areas of our lives. When we fear, we fear everything and everyone... to different degrees. I used to be afraid of my husband’s opinion out of fear that he would become upset with me if I spoke up. I could never witness to him. Then something wonderful happened and I surrendered my idea of living to living to serve others. I noticed there were no more criticisms after a while, and I could actually have conversations about Christ with him. He doesn't yet believe; however, I see him being more considerate of my opinion, my witness. It is such a blessing.

God loves each of us and wants our best. He also wants us to love and trust Him. I would run to my earthly father to handle difficult situations when I was a young child. He would always take care of the situation. I was always happy because I knew I could count on him. There is no true comparison to my heavenly father because He is our ALL in ALL. He will never leave me nor forsake me. My earthly father was only human and did human things. God cannot, as He loves beyond measure, I’ve seen it in my life over and over again. How can I keep from rejoicing?

When I am undergoing personal problems of any sort, people occasionally ask how I can endure such a thing (meaning trial)? I believe it is because I can look back over my life and see all the trials I have gone through and know that God loves me and gives me the strength and courage to endure. Paul's witness was powerful because he KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt who Jesus was (and is) and that people see how he tolerates his situation and hear how Christ reigns. I am always going through something, be it a family concern, a personal financial or mechanical concern or health. It seems that during the Covid pandemic, something is always breaking down. Glory to God!

I am blessed with joy and love to be a part of this study.

The lesson teaches that 1) a slave is 100% committed to another person and the slaves' service is compulsory. 2) a saint is dedicated to the service of God through their own free will . 3) Those who are saved are not perfect, and God has set us apart serve Him. I love the following from the lesson: 'We are His sacred property and off limits to profane use.' I feel safe knowing that I am His and nobody can change that fact.

Being a financial "partner" with a Christian missionary, minister, ministry, or church, we receive spiritual and material blessing. We can give support in many forms. Sometimes it's meals, clothing, a place to rest our heads at night. Sometimes it's prayer, love and visiting.

Paul is confident that God, who began a good work in the Philippians, will carry it on to completion. God is faithful and true to His word. God has declared us to be His saints and is very involved in our salvation. We can expect God to do this for us because we sincerely live for Christ.

Paul asks God to give the Philippians discernment so that they would be able to know what is best for any situation but mostly in serving God. Paul wants them to be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Being human, of course they aren't perfect, but because of Jesus' work on the cross, they are pure and blameless as He took our sins and died for us. Putting themselves (ourselves) first in situations (what will make ME feel good vs what will benefit the other person) will contradict what God wants from us. Striving to "Be Good" is not trusting that God has forgiven us. In the "Good", we'll be focused on ourselves, not on the love of God with ongoing giving of glory and praise. We need to focus on what really pleases God, not on what pleases us or another.

I am Marquita from San Diego CA. Wife, mother of 4 grown children, grandmother to 13 grands and 2 great grands. Physical Therapy was my work field until I retired 2 years ago just as Covid hit. I volunteer with the Chaplaincy at the local Veterans Home and have been blessed! Volunteer work is not limiting at all. I meet so many wonderful souls and most of them attend our weekly services and bible studies. God has brought me through the rough patches in life and now when they come, it is on Him that I lean! I give Him glory and praise and have a grateful heart for Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. He is here with me now. I keep praising.