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So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. --Philippians 2:1-2 Several years ago, there was a lady in our church who needed an urgent blood transfusion. So some members of our church got together and decided they were going to go donate the blood she needed. It saved her life. The blood donors made a card for this dear woman and wrote, “We gave our blood for you because Jesus gave His blood for us.” It blessed her immensely. And it gave all of us at the church a good perspective on what it means to give ourselves for the sake of one another. We do that when we forgive, when we show favor, and when we give sacrificially to one another. That’s what the body of Christ is all about! As we look at the early church, we see a group of men and women who really did share life together. There was no physical need that went unmet because they cared so deeply for one another. And with so much individualism in our culture today, we can learn a lot from them! All believers are united in Christ. And just as you’d miss any part of your body that was cut off, each individual believer is important in the overall function. So be united in Christ with other believers and you’ll experience the joy of sharing life with others. SHARE LIFE WITH OTHER BELIEVERS AS ONE AND YOU’LL EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF UNITY IN CHRIST! Just Don’t Quit Friday, October 25, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:55–58 While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their famous moonwalk, the capsule that would return them safely to Earth was being flown by Michael Collins. He was their vital lifeline to get back home. And despite being trusted with that vital role, just a few years before, Collins had been told that he didn’t have what it took to be an astronaut. The West Point graduate and test pilot applied to NASA following John Glenn’s flight around the world, only be to rejected. He later called it, “a big flop, a big failure,” but he refused to give up. He continued working and applying until in 1963, he was accepted into the astronaut program and chosen for the Apollo 11 mission. There are many times in life when we do not immediately succeed at what we try. The temptation in those moments is to give up and accept that we cannot do what we have set out to do. However, defeat should not discourage us. This is even more true in the spiritual realm than it is in any other part of our lives. Paul pointed out to the church at Corinth that Jesus through His resurrection had already defeated the greatest enemy we face—death. In light of that victory, he called them to faithfulness in service to God. Not everyone to whom we witness gets saved, and not everyone for whom we pray gets healed; but the ultimate victory has been won. We must not quit serving God. Today's Growth Principle:  Failure is never final until and unless we give up and accept it as final.