He is my Delight

I marvel at how the Apostle Paul was so consistently a man with a single purpose – the proclamation of the gospel.  After meeting Christ, everything in his life seems to come back to this one goal.

In his letter to the Philippians he writes “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” (V 12-13)

As he pens this letter, Paul helps the Philippian believers to see God’s perfectly unfolding plan – even in his chains.  So although his freedom has been taken from him and his circumstances are less than ideal (to say the least), it all comes back to one thing for him – preaching the gospel.  And this he can do even in his chains.  The message is not hindered, only redirected to a new, previously unreached audience.

All of life, the good and the bad, is an opportunity to proclaim Christ.  Although when life is less than perfect, and when difficult circumstances threaten our willingness to proclaim Christ, might it not be in these very difficulties that our witness may be most effective?

There is no time to be a fair weather Christian.  There are yet multitudes who have not heard the saving message of Jesus Christ.  And even if, in the midst of our sufferings, we cannot seem to find any compassion for our fellow human beings, couldn’t we still be so overwhelmed with His glorious grace that we cannot help but proclaim it? 

May the Spirit of God strengthen us all to proclaim Christ, with all of our heart and all of our strength, even in our chains.