Page 11 - Living Light - A Message of Joy!

Friday December 8 - There will be deliverance
...through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. Philippians 1:19
The more I study this passage in Philippians, the more I am amazed at Paul’s assurance amidst adversity. His faith meant that he had constancy, courage and conviction. Why was he confident that he wouldn’t face death, but be set free? Because he profoundly trusted God, and his priority was that the gospel should be preached and people won for Christ. He couldn’t lead people to Christ if he was dead!
Paul knew that the Philippian believers were fervent in their prayers. They loved Paul and consequently prayed for him day and night. He also knew that his intensity in preaching would contribute to his release from prison. Another reason that Paul would be released was the ‘supply of the Spirit’. The Holy Spirit would move advantageously upon the Roman authorities so that they would be inclined to release Paul.
We have so much to learn from Paul. He was a person of certainty because he placed his confidence in that which is irreplaceable: God’s truth. To what extent do you feel you focus on, and place your confidence in, this truth? There’s nothing like suffering to show us where we put our trust! Suffering can also cause us to make significant changes in life. As this week’s reading draws to a close tomorrow, are there any changes you would like to make in your life?
Father, I pray that you will use my suffering to strengthen my faith and confidence to share the gospel with others. Amen.
Saturday December 9 - Christ will be honoured
...I will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be
exalted in my body, whether by life or death. Philippians 1:20
As we discussed yesterday, Paul had the faith that he would be released from prison to go on preaching; but only when the prison doors were opened would he know for sure that he was right! The same is true for any of us who discern within our hearts that something is going to occur; time itself will tell. One thing is certain for Paul: whether he is released alive, or dies, the outcome is that he will bring honour to Christ. If he is released alive, he will certainly praise Christ and certainly go on leading others to faith. If, however, he loses his life for his faith, there’s no doubt that God will use the incident to transform lives and open people’s eyes to see that all Paul spoke about was true.
We can see, unmistakably, that the intense desire of Paul’s heart is to ‘die to self’ and live for Christ each day. Do you feel challenged to follow his example, even though the thought is daunting? What small steps can you take to spend more time in God’s word, getting closer to the Father as well as sharing Jesus with others? Is there a difficult or painful situation you have gone through, or are going through, that fits our theme this week – ‘Victorious yet suffering’? Can you gently place it in God’s hands?
Thank you, Father, for all I have learnt from this week’s readings. I pray that you will help me to follow you more closely. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
9