Philippians 1:12-14
Now I want to you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Life happens. Everyday, all around us, life is happening not only to us, but to those around us as well. People die. People get sick. People have to pay taxes. They get in fights with their spouse; their stuff gets stolen; their house catches on fire; a tornado hits; divorce happens; children fall off the deep end. Sometimes you are suffering as a result of a decision (OK, a bad decision) that you made, but sometimes the suffering and the trials that you are going through are the result of decisions made by other people over which you have no control. Your spouse decides to leave; you are accused unjustly; and when this kind of "life" happens to you it is easy to crawl inside of a shell and want to isolate yourself in some kind of self-contained-feel-sorry-for-me-I'm-so-pitiful-pity party.
If anyone deserved to throw one of these parties it was Paul. When he wrote the word above he was chained up in a prison cell. Why? Because he was willing to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ no matter what the cost, and in this case it cost him his freedom. Listen to his words, though, as he writes from his jail cell. ...I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel... When bad things happen to Paul, he views it as an opportunity to spread the gospel even more. As a result of his imprisonment, the whole palace guard got to hear about Jesus, and many believers were encouraged in their efforts to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
As "life" happens to you. As the trials and struggles seem to come at you from every angle, take time to stop and remind yourself that God can use your "life" to tell others about Jesus, as well as encourage other believers to more courageously share their own faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment