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An Occasional Blog
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An Occasional Blog
October 22, 2007
Philippians 1:12-26 12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. Have you ever prayed that God would use you for his purposes and glory? Have you ever stopped to think that God’s answer to your prayer might look something like Paul’s experience? Not much chance that we will get arrested and thrown in prison for preaching Christ – at least, not yet. While it would not be wise to put God in a box by asserting that Paul’s experience is a pattern for how God will answer this prayer in our lives, Paul’s attitude about what he’s experiencing should be a pattern for how you and I respond when life doesn’t go the way we’d like. Re-read the opening lines from Philippians 1. Paul was content to remain in very unpleasant circumstances if by doing so, someone else would hear, respond to, and grow in the Gospel. He didn’t whine about how unjust his imprisonment was, how bad the food was, or how dangerous the unsanitary conditions were. The fact is, because – and maybe only because he experienced these things “most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (v. 14). The ascent to Christian maturity is not a solo journey. Countless others may have paid a significant price so that we could advance in our walk of faith; their pain, our gain. God wants to give us the privilege of joining in that corps. Christian maturity is not simply a matter of persevering through unjust circumstances. Like Paul, we need to embrace the understanding that God wants to use the difficulties we experience to encourage others. Thoughts or comments? We'd love to hear from you!
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