Philippians 1:12-26

     Continuing with the first chapter of Philippians we find Paul explaining to the Philippians about the different ways that all the troubles he's been through are actually good things.  He found joy in his adversities.  Yikes!  Who wants to be joyful about those?  Well it all really boils down to what kind of attitude you have when you are faced with adversity.  In this lesson we are going to look at the ways that Paul found joy in his situation and spread it on to the church at Philippi.
     The center reference definitions from my study Bible have verse 12 saying:  But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have turned out to further the gospel.  Paul is not complaining about the hardships he's faced but has rather accepted them as the work of God to further the preaching of the gospel.  From verse 13 we learn that he was able to share the gospel with the guard in Caesars palace.  The Praetorian Guard was Rome's finest. They served as body guards and intelligence for the emperors.  It was also their job to guard prisoners waiting to be brought before Caesar.  For two years these men were around Paul day in and day out, and He was able to lead some of the many that guarded him to Christ.  Apparently Paul had some freedom of movement because the guards were not the only ones who heard his preaching and were saved.
     Paul's steadfastness in his faith and preaching while in bondage within the very palace itself was inspiring to many of the Roman Christians.  It gave them courage to go out and preach boldly themselves.
     The motive in our hearts is the tell all sign to God.  Although there were many going out preaching, they were not all preaching for the right reason.  Some were preaching for selfish reasons instead of for the glory of God.  They saw Paul's imprisonment as a time that they might be able to make themselves shine.  Their jealousy and envy caused them to lose sight of the love of God and draw attention to themselves.  Some even thought to try to make Paul jealous.  Times of adversity bring out our true colors.  What will we see in our "friends" when those times come?
     Thankfully in verse 17 we can see that there were some with pure hearts who truly loved and respected Paul and the work he was appointed to.  Paul was supposed to be exactly where he was to carry out God's plan.  He was very happy that the gospel was being preached, whether it was for selfish reasons or not.  People were getting to hear the word.
     Paul had every confidence that he was going to be delivered and it was going to be because of their prayers and the Holy Spirit.  Although prayer and the Holy Spirit were important, Paul also felt that his own behavior should not be a source of shame or reproach.  He wanted Christ to be magnified and he was looking to the future with plans to be faithful to Christ whether in life or death.
     Verse 21 is one of the most frequently quoted.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

     In Paul's opinion living consisted of serving and glorifying Jesus Christ.  Nothing else in his life had meaning or purpose.  That is a bold statement, but think about it.  Out of all the things that you do in your life, which things actually truly count for something?  It's those that you do in service to and for God.  Those things are our treasures laid up in heaven.  The things that won't burn up when they are laid before God.  It's so easy to lose sight of that in this hectic world.  This quarantine may have made you take a second look at all those things that you thought were "priority" and made you realize some things that you should have been prioritizing.  While we are here on earth the things of God should be our priority.  I'm not saying we can't do anything else but study the word and preach/teach it, but if you put your mind to it, you can find a way to incorporate something that will glorify God in everything you do.  Serving others, using temperance when someone really gets under your skin, wearing a t-shirt with a Bible verse on it, sharing a uplifting video or meme on FB.  Not everything has to be a grand gesture, but it should have a pure heart motive and a godly foundation of love for the brethren.  In simple words, Paul saw Jesus Christ as his reason for being.  That's a deep thought and honestly, how many of us can say we have that attitude.  Paul wasn't a super human.  He was subject to all the faults and failures that we are, but he did have his life focused on the part of it that really counts in the end.
     Speaking of the end, the rest of his statement is that "to die is gain".  Unfortunately there are so many lost people in this world that don't have an understanding of what Paul is saying here.  Just think about the thousands that have died in this pandemic.  I wonder how many of them knew that shedding this old body means gaining everything through the salvation of Jesus Christ.  It's staggering to think of the number of people that believe there is nothing after death or that this life is heaven and they have nothing to look forward to but hell.  We just celebrated Easter, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  We save a risen Savior, one who has promised us eternity in glorious heaven.  No sorrow, no pain, perfectness in the presence of God.  That's nothing but a gain!
     In David Jeremiah's study guide Count It All Joy, he makes this statement, "Christ in our life purifies our motives for living".  Are we living for us or Him?
     Let's look at how Paul broke down his particular view of his future in the next few verses.  First of all he reiterates his two options: life on earth after his current situation of adversity where he goes on to produce fruit from his labor of preaching the gospel OR departing this life and going to be with the Lord.  In verse 23 he says he is in a strait betwixt the two.  This phrase in Greek paints a picture of a traveler on a path that leads between two rock walls and he can only go straight forward.  My study Bible translates it as "hard pressed between the two".  He saw going to be with the Lord as the better of the two choices.  Who wouldn't!  That was selfish though, and Paul was not a selfish man.  In verse 24 he shows that.  His thoughts were for the people of the church at Philippi.  He felt God would let him live so that he could minister to them for a while longer, to help strengthen and encourage them as they grew in faith and knowledge.  Paul had many fledgling churches that his continued ministries to would benefit.  It wasn't about Paul though.  He merely saw his continued ministry to them as a way to further build up their faith in Jesus and glorify Him.
     Paul's life was no piece of cake, but he saw his adversities as blessings because of the way God used them to further the gospel and to influence believers to grow and spread the word themselves.  We may not understand why we face some of the things we do, but we can be sure God is going to work in it and whatever the outcome, it will be perfect and good.
     Here are a couple of thoughts for you to ponder on.

• How have the adversities in your life shaped your perspective on life and death?
• Read James 1:2.  What clue does the word "when" give us about the trials and temptations in our live?

God bless,

Tracy