Hello, and thank you for listening to the Desiring God Messages feed.

I pray this feed of our latest sermons has blessed you this year.

Thank you for subscribing and listening and making us a part of your life in 2024.

This is Tony Rankie, host from over at the Ask Pastor John podcast.

Honored to spend a moment with you here today as we hear from Pastor John,

who has an update for us

as we plan and prepare our ministry operations in the new year.

2025 begins in just a few days, and as we change out the calendar, we're dreaming of what we can do

next as we expand our ministry labors across the globe. And with that, here's Pastor John.

In Philippians chapter 2, verse 27, the Apostle Paul

says something amazing about his friend Epaphroditeus. He was ill and near to death,

and it says, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have

sorrow upon sorrow, even though

Paul said in the previous chapter, to die is gain. Well, if to die is gain, why is it of mercy

to be kept alive? That's the key question. And surely the answer is, Epaphroditis gets another day to magnify Christ

in his body, and Paul gets another day to be loved by a precious friend. And that's what I feel

here at the end of the year at my age.

To be alive and to be loved by so many people who support desiring God, to magnify Christ in our bodies.

Another day on earth is a very precious mercy.

It's compounded by the fact that I get to do my favorite thing here at Desiring God.

I study the Bible.

I apply it to people's lives.

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