Tuesday, April 23 | Philippians 1:12-30 | Courtney Trotter
This section of Philippians reminds me of the story of Joseph. Joseph experienced many hardships in his life. His brothers tried to kill him and then decided to sell him into slavery. While in Egypt, he was thrown into prison, but eventually his fortune began to shift. He was summoned to interpret dreams for the Pharaoh and then became one of his trusted advisors. As a result of his position of authority, he was able to give aid to his family, the same brothers who previously tried to kill him, during a famine. His brothers feared that he might try to exact revenge on them, but he assured them saying, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
Paul has this same confidence in the power of God. Joseph said this in hindsight, but Paul is able to proclaim hope in the midst of his trouble. He faced two main problems. The first was the fact that he was in prison which greatly restricted his ability to function as a traveling evangelist. The second is that there was group of people, probably pagans, who were disparaging his reputation. In spite of all this, he is able to rejoice. For he knows that he will be delivered and the kingdom of God will advance whether he lives or dies.
Everyone wants to live and death is inevitable. But there is only one way to have a life worth living and a death worth dying: to look to the one who lived a perfect life and claimed victory over death. It is this hope and joy that becomes the sign of the Christian, unites us for the sake of the gospel, and allows us to stand firm in the face of opposition (Philippians 1:27-28). Pray that God will give you joy in the midst of sorrow. Look back on your life and thank God for the times that He worked good out of seemingly insurmountable problems.
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