This may come as no surprise to you, but the Cleveland
Browns are 0-12 so far this season. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any
worse, it got worse.
Have you ever been in a season of life like that? A season
where everything that could go wrong keeps going wrong? We’ve all been there,
whether it was just a day or two, or few weeks, or even years. It’s easy to get
discouraged and want to just give up, right?
The Apostle Paul wrote to encourage believers in Philippi
and left us with one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture.
“And I am sure of
this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the
day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6
Certainly, we could place Romans 8:28 right up there with
that one too. But Paul was in a season of struggle where everything was going “wrong.”
He actually wrote the book of Philippians while he was in prison. The book on being
joyful was written from a prison cell.
Paul was able to look beyond his circumstance and see that
his confidence wasn’t in where he was, what job he had, what car he drove, what
smartphone he carried. No, it was in the work of Jesus Christ!
What brought him great joy was the Gospel of Christ and the
partnership of other believers. He expresses his sincere love for the
Philippians who are “partakers with me of grace.” The joy of fellowship with
other believers because of what Christ had done was his encouragement.
In part I believe the Philippian church held a very special
place in Paul’s heart because of how the church in Philippi was born. Spend some
time reading Acts 16 for the full story. Paul was beaten and put in prison with
his buddy Silas for preaching the Gospel and casting out a demon. While chained
in prison and singing praise songs to Jesus, there was an earthquake that
loosened their chains and opened the prison doors.
Instead of escaping, Paul and Silas got all the other
prisoners to stay, which saved the jailor's life. Because of their actions, the
Philippian jailor asked Paul what he must do to be saved. That very night the
jailor and his family received Christ and were baptized, thus starting the
church in Philippi.
Paul saw how God turned one of his worst days into a day of
rejoicing! Through Paul’s pain and suffering came the birth of a new
congregation, one that became very near and dear to the Apostle’s heart.
And so, I want to encourage you with this thought, keep your
eyes on Jesus even when you are going through hard times. He is working in and
through you in ways you can’t understand yet, but nothing is wasted with Jesus.
You never know who is going to see Jesus in you as you preserve through trials.
Our confidence is not in our self, but in Jesus Christ!
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