PHILIPPIANS eternally (I John 5:13). If you meet Cod's conditions for salvation, laid down in His Word, He cannot al low you to be lost. The integrity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are at stake. Repent of your sin and trust Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour. Then you may know that you are redeemed right now. We will also be given the witness of the Holy Spirit (Ro mans 8:16). Paul bore in himself not only the marks of redemption but also the marks of a deep-seated spiritual commitment. He was always faith ful to Jesus Christ. He was always in communication with the Lord, longing in his own soul to know the Saviour in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings so that he might be made conformable unto His death (Philippians 3:10). So should it be our earnest goal and purpose as well. There is a real need for us to understand how Cod would have us conduct our lives each day. In Philippians 3:15 Paul declares, "Let us, therefore, as many as be per fect, be thus minded; and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." The word "perfect" means spiritually mature. In reference to man it is always used from a rela tive standpoint, while in speaking of God it is in the absolute sense. One of the greatest hindrances in reaching spiritual maturity lies in the realm of discouragement. We may become frustrated over our inability to accomplish some spe cific task. The behavior of other people around us can also be a great disappointment, too. To be separated from people whom we
love and respect can also cause unhappiness. Paul was languishing in a Roman prison, separated from the Philip pian believers. He loved them dearly in the Lord. Terminally ill people and their families may get discouraged not only because of the frustration of a long disease, but also because of their dread of the eventual. The relatives have to prepare for a new kind of life without the loved one in their midst. Certainly discouragement arises when there is a lack of purpose in the life. Philosophers rightly talk about existential despair. This re- suits when people have no direc tion and no apparent meaning to life. This ought never to be true of the Christian. Sometimes the cause of discour agement can even be a physical thing. Doubtless while Paul was in prison in the city of Rome he was physically suffering. It was cold and damp in the winter and un bearably hot in the summer. He must have been very uncomfort able. In our own day, for example, discouragement can come to wo men who have recently had a baby, or who are in later years going through the menopause. This hor mone imbalance can play all kinds of tricks. We all should realize that when we are tired and hungry we have a lowered ability to resist dis couragement. In writing to the church of Cor inth Paul indicated that he had a long period of discouragement (II Corinthians 2:1-11). He blamed this on the devices of the devil. To get Christian people despondent must certainly be a clever tactic of Satan. He knows if he is successful
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