Day 272
Isaiah 57:14-59:21; Philippians 1:1-26; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 24:9-10
Our Attitude in Adversity
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is probably the most joyful letter he wrote, which is surprising considering the conditions he was in. Paul was in prison, and he had only two avenues open to himself. He would go before the Emperor and either be set free or killed. That was Paul’s dilemma. He could have been worried about his future. He could have been worried about his very life. But he wasn’t. Regardless of the conditions in his life, he was joyful. He knew that no matter what, he would remain in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing else mattered.
He was in chains. That was okay because it encouraged others to share the good news of Christ’s salvation in places he couldn’t go. He was facing death but that was okay, too, because to him, life was the race and death was the prize. He wasn’t afraid to die because he knew he would be with Jesus Christ forever, but if he lived, then he could share that good news of Christ’s transforming love to at least one more person.
What about you? Does this describe you? How will you live? Whether it’s family or friends or finances or future, we are all struggling with something. How will we cope with what is out of our control? How will we live our lives? What would we do differently if we lived our lives as if we truly believed God was in control and had our best interests at heart?
The Rev. Paul Head