Date: Sept. 11 and 12, 2012
Passage: Philippians 1:12-26
Scripture:
"But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;" verse 12
Observation:
As far as I can tell, and have been told, the apostle Paul was in prison at the time of this writing. He was chained 24/7 to a guard. He'd had pretty much everything taken from him: His freedom, his church, his possessions, and even many of his friends. He'd been through torture, beatings, sickness, and numerous other hardships. Yet throughout the book of Philippians, the themes of joy and rejoicing come up over and over. And he's not just joyful, but he's encouraging others to be joyful as well.
Application:
Oh how I need my joy back! There is such heartache in the church right now. Oh how we need our joy back! Yes there are happy times, times when we are thankful and feel so blessed, times when it is brought clear and bright to our eyes what our purpose and mission is. But more often than not it seems lately, we are being attacked with waves of discouragement and sadness so overwhelming they threaten to sweep us from our moorings. There is a difference between happiness and joy. We are creatures of emotion. Happiness lasts as long as conditions seem favorable and upbeat and cheerful. Joy is an anchor, a promise, a hope in the Power we have that will never fail. I think we may have lost sight of that Power. He is still there - He never leaves. But perhaps in the struggles and smoke of battle our view has become clouded, and our eyes are seeing only the losses, the wounds, and the power of the enemy, instead of our valiant Commander desiring to lead us on to victory.
Prayer:
"God give us back our Joy in You! We are so discouraged right now. And yet, there are those who are hoping, who will not let the sadness overrun them. I want to be one of them. I try to be one of them! Encourage those hearts. Strengthen us all. Help us to look to Your spirit for our strength and joy and courage and stamina. Help us to rely on prayer - our most powerful resource - and to encourage each other, instead of letting our sadness spread like a disease. Thank You that You have everything under control. Help us look at this from Your perspective, and thereby have our confidence and courage renewed. Bring us out of this dim time stronger than we ever would have been had we only been faced with ease and plenty. Cause the things that have happened to us, to me, to turn out for the furtherance of Your Gospel. Thank You for Your love. In Your Son Jesus' name, Amen."
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