Philippians 1:17–18 (RSV) — 17 the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not
sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.
NOTE: By the end of
his life, Paul was a positive individual. I don't think he started out that
way. He seems much harsher in his letter to Galatians. Of course, in the letter
to the Galatians, the Judaizers had changed the gospel, and so that is a different
problem. Still, he is not bothered by people with the wrong motives. He sees
God's hand at work in the good and the bad. He is not discouraged. In fact, he
is making special effort to communicate to the Philippians that things are
going well. I can't imagine Paul sulking or playing the "woe is me"
card. Why? Because he truly believed in the sovereign hand of God in his life.
No matter how bad things were going, he trusted in God and maintained his hope
in God.
PRAYER: Father,
protect me from the world's traps. One of them is to feel sorry for yourself
when things don't go the way you want them. Lord, I want to rejoice always and
maintain a positive attitude because you are my hope and you are in charge.
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