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The Pursuit of Happiness Daily Devotional -6

by David Joynt on January 08, 2021


PHILIPPIANS 1:7 | 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

The Philippians sent a gift for Paul to the prison where he was held in Rome. The gift was financial and crucial, since Roman jails provided no food and allowed no work, and starvation loomed without support. The gift was also personal, they delivered the money via a messenger, Epaphroditus, who stayed on to be Paul’s friend and helper until he fell ill.

Although Paul is suffering in a Roman jail, his solicitude for Epaphroditus is touching. He sends the man home to recover and tells the Philippian church how wonderful he has been and how he has suffered so they won’t be disappointed in the shortness of his stay. (See 2:25-30).

Are you a thoughtful gift giver?

Are you good at appreciating others’ thoughtfulness?

 

Tags: gifts, thoughtfulness

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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