Philippians 1:12-21
(New International Version, ©2010)
Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that what has happened to me has actually 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 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become
confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
16 The latter do so out of 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.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
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.
Expectations! We all have them. We expect that people will be nice to us, that we’ll have good health, great marriages, faithful friends, successful careers. But what do we do when life doesn’t live up to our expectations? In Philippians 1, Paul shows us the way. He faced broken expectations of place, people, and the future, yet he remained surprisingly upbeat.
Paul was stuck in prison—not a great place to be! When we get stuck in a tough marriage, an unrewarding job, or a challenging neighborhood, it’s easy to get discouraged. But Paul was wonderfully positive. He said that his suffering helped to advance the gospel (Phil. 1:12).
Maybe people haven’t lived up to our expectations. Paul likely expected other believers to encourage him. Instead, some were actually glad he was in jail and were preaching out of “envy and strife” (v.15). Paul’s response? “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.” (v.18).
Maybe it’s an uncertain future—the loss of a spouse, a job transfer, or a health crisis. Paul knew that at any moment Nero might give the order for his execution, yet he declared, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (v.21).
Adopt Paul’s only expectation—for Christ to be honored no matter what! (By Joe Stowell)
___________________________________________
In all I think and say and do,
I long, O God, to honor You;
But may my highest motive be
To love the Christ who died for me.
I long, O God, to honor You;
But may my highest motive be
To love the Christ who died for me.
(D. De Haan)
___________________________________________
You can expect to enjoy God’s presence when you honor Him with your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment