Philippians 1:12-14 “I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Circumstances are tricky. We are quick to blame them when things are not going our way. We are quick to point out that someone else has better circumstances than we do. However, when circumstances are pretty good, have you ever noticed that we are not as quick to point them out to others? We always want good circumstances, thinking we can do more with them. In Paul’s life, we can see many examples of how his circumstances never stopped him from sharing the Gospel with those around him. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote specifically to the church plant in Philippi. He was trying to encourage them in their faith and let them know he is okay. Paul wrote from a Roman prison. His circumstances were not the best. In fact, Paul was eager to get out of prison to continue his missionary journey. However, he took advantage of his circumstances. He told the Philippians that even jail time is for the advancement of the Gospel. When you look at your circumstances, good or bad, are you quick to use them for the advancement of the Gospel? When our focus is on God, rather than ourselves, we can see that we can be used wherever we are and whatever we are going through to advance the Gospel. Take a moment today to reflect on where you are right now and how you can be used where God has you for the advancement of the Gospel.