Study Desk

For they know that I am appointed for the defence of the gospel:

For I know that through your prayers and the gift of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, all these things will ultimately turn out for my salvation,

For Christ is my life, and to die is gain.

For I am drawn between two desires, the one to depart, that I may be with Christ, which is far better:

Nevertheless, for me to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

And this I surely know, that I shall be spared and remain for your joy and for the furtherance of your faith;

For it has been given to you, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for his sake.

For it is God who inspires you with the will to do the good things which you desire to do.

For you are to them the light of life; for my pride and glory in the day of Christ, for I have not run in vain nor labored in vain.

For I have no one here as interested as I am, who will sincerely care for your welfare;

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ''s.

For he has been longing to see you all, and has been depressed because he knew you had heard that he had been sick.

For indeed he was sick to the point of death but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Because for the work of Christ he came near to death; and by his self denial, he made good your lack of service to me.

For we are the true people of circumcision, who worship God in Spirit, and glory in Jesus Christ, and yet do not rely on things of the flesh.

As for me, I once relied on things of the flesh. However, if a man thinks his hope is on things of the flesh, I have more hope than he has;

But these things which once were a gain to me, I counted a loss for the sake of Christ.

And I still count them all a loss, for the sake of abundant knowledge of Jesus Christ my LORD: for whom I have lost everything, and I have considered all those things as refuse, so that I may increase in Christ

Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect; but I am striving, that I may reach that for which Jesus Christ appointed me.

My brethren, I do not consider that I have reached the goal; but this one thing I do know, forgetting those things which are behind me, I strive for those things which are before me,