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Daily eMail Devotional
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Philippians 1:12-30 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
As you know the world is constantly changing, no one can predict what happens in the future. Similarly, our lives are also in constant change and because of which, unexpected things happen so quickly. James 4:14 described our lives as a vapour; “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away.” Furthermore, Proverbs 27:1 says; “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” These verses clearly states that we do not have control over our lives, only God has control. Therefore, we must be ready to respond to anything that happens. Our response will determine whether the circumstances will make us better or bitter. Let us look at our response.
First, we need to respond with a prayerful heart. When bad things happen in our lives, I recommend that the first thing we do is to be on our knees in prayer. James 1:2 says that we need to “count it all joy when you fall into divers temptation;” temptation here could mean trials or sufferings. This does not mean that we jump up and down for joy but it means that we have peace of mind despite the trials and if we go to God in prayer, he will give us peace that passeth all understanding. Most of the time, we are unable to bear or solve our problems because we are busy panicking and finding solution by our own strength. That is not a good response. My brethren, when the going gets tough go to God in prayer; trust him and give all your fears and doubts to him. I Peter 5:7 say, “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” God cares for you; why don’t you go to him in prayer today.
Second, we need to immerse ourselves in God’s Word. Whatever circumstances we may be or however bad the situation we are facing right now, do not give up. God is still on the throne. He loves us and cares for us even if our friends or families seem to have abandoned us. Just be still and know that he is God. We need to realize that we are God’s workmanship and these bad events in our lives are one of the means whereby God’s creative purposes for us is fulfilled. Therefore, we need to be teachable and learn from it rather than sulk in self-pity or despair. However, we do not know all this if we are not reading our Bible, it is essential then to study our Bible in the midst of trials so that we can confidently response to the circumstances in a positive & godly manner.
Verse 21 said “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” This verse gives us confidence that no matter how bad the circumstances are, we will gain the victory in Christ. We need to rest upon his promises; refinement comes after the fire. “For thou, O God, has proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.” Psalm 66:10. All we need to do is trust him and I am sure that he will bless us. Nahum 1:7, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
Pastor Andy
Don't Forget -
