Soulfood

Ed Welch

“All eyes on Christ at all times”

Three features from Paul’s ministry

1. Confess our successes
2. Remember that God has done the work
3. Bring our miseries to God

Bring our successes to God. Lay them down before Him. Cf. Phil 3…Paul knows his successes and isn’t apologetic about them. He remembers the warning in Deuteronomy about forgetting the Lord as we enjoy our successes. “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’”

How long can I go in a day without speaking to Jesus? The longer the day goes without speaking to Jesus, the worse it is. Psalm 40:11 “As for you, Oh Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your chesed and emmet will ever preserve me!”

But Paul also knows it is God who has done all this for him. God loves Paul and brought him to Himself.

God got me in to this life with Christ, and He has to get me out of this situation. (David Powlison)

There are no human fingerprints on what God has done for us.

Paul also exhorts us to take our miseries to God. The pains and miseries that are beyond our ability to endure are especially to be brought to God. Paul endured more than most of us but understood it was all designed to drive him to Christ, over and over.

Paul’s 6 words: “For me, to live is Christ”

May we imitate Paul as he imitates Christ!