Philippians 1:12-14 "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear."
This verse is talking about Paul's imprisonment for Christ's sake, it furthered the kingdom. It opened up a freedom for those who were Christians to speak up. He had already gone to prison for this reason and was showing how God can use hard times for the glory of His Kingdom.
I also thought when meditating on this verse that imprisonment can be imprisonment to anxiety or fear, to money or work, to pornography or relationships. God can use all things to glorify Him. We turn away from these things for Christ and allow Him to lead our lives and that is a victory in His name because we cannot be free from these things without Him.
"For me to, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith," Philippians 1:21-25
Oh how Paul must have longed to be with Christ in Heaven, in perfection. He says to die is gain and it most certainly is! To be with our Father in Heaven is what we all desire. There will be no more pain, no more fear, no more tears. We will rejoice and praise our God forever! But Paul said He would rather help those around Him so that they can become true followers of God together. This to me is mature thinking. He was thinking of others and not of himself. He was convinced of this and knew that he would remain on earth to help those around Him so that they would also have the opportunity to be with God. We are to "not only believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Phil. 1:29)
In Philippians 2, I can't help but think, Would I be able to risk death for the work of Christ? At this point in my life I have not been challenged with these things of people and having to stand up against someone who is blaspheming my God. Only on TV have I seen such things and with that I can just turn it off. I think back to the time of Cassie Barnell in 1999. She was asked at gunpoint to deny Christ and she wouldn't. Michael W Smith has a song called "This is Your Time" that was inspired by this horrible crime.
The lyrics begin like this:
It was a test we could all hope to pass
But none of us would want to take
Faced with choice to deny God and live
For her there was one choice to make
What if tomorrow
What if today
Faced with the Question
Oh, What would you say?
This is a tough thing to do and I pray that I would have the strength to stand up for Christ if I was faced with that same question.
What would you say?
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