“Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear…
“…Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:12-14,18-21 NASB1995)
The apostle Paul was called of God to share the message of the gospel of Christ with the people of the world, to both Jew and Gentile. And even though many people came to genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus during his years of ministry, he also faced much rejection, persecutions, beatings, stoning, sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, and all kinds of opposition from his opponents. But the more he was mistreated and even imprisoned for his testimony for the Lord Jesus, the greater the progress of the gospel.
Although I am no Paul, God called me 21 years ago to write down what he was teaching me each from his word and from my times spent with him in fellowship with him each day and to place these writings on the internet so that a herald could “run with it” (the name of my blog). And what led up to that was that I was being persecuted and rejected and cast aside as unwanted and as unnecessary in many of today’s institutional market-driven “churches” which are in an unholy union with the government of the USA.
But God used those circumstances in my life, and their rejection of me, to send me to the internet to share what he was teaching me, and to share with the people the gospel of Jesus Christ so that many would reject the lies being spread, and so they would believe the truth, and so they would, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord Jesus turn from their sins and now walk in obedience to the Lord and to his commands in holy living. For so many people are being lied to and deceived about the gospel.
But Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And the gospel of Christ, and of our salvation, is going out to people all over the world in many different nations. And although I can’t see the fruit of it all in the lives of the people who view these writings, I know the writings are being viewed, and that people are hearing/reading the truth of the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, and in that I rejoice. And yes, I still face opposition, some false accusations against my character, and some sharp disagreements with what I am sharing while the truth goes out to the people, and many people are hearing the truth and not the lies.
And what Paul was expressing here was how God can take circumstances in our lives which appear to not be for our good, and he can use them for good in our lives and in the lives of other people who are ministered to through our testimonies for the Lord Jesus Christ. And that brings me to another subject along the same lines. For I am, too, in that area where I pray that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now be exalted in my body, “whether by life or by death.”
For, a couple of weeks ago I began having very sharp chest pains, chest pressure, and shortness of breath. The hospital performed a CT scan of my lungs and it was discovered that a lung tumor, which had been there since 2014, had now nearly doubled in size, and it appears to be what is causing the pain in my chest and the chest pressure. So my doctor ordered a series of tests for this week and next to see what is going on inside my body, but not only impacting my lungs, but my head, my legs, and my thyroid, etc.
And my husband reminded me today that this could lead to my death, and so he had me write out my wishes for after I die just in case this is where this is all headed. And then I read this passage of Scripture and I prayed that prayer along with Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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Whether By Life or By Death
An Original Work / September 30, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love