Philippians 1:12-14
As Paul is sitting in a jail cell he writes this letter to encourage the people in Philippi. He tells of an amazing situation where because he is jail he gets a chance to share the love of Christ to people in jail, including people working there. His statement in verse 14 inspires and encourages all Christians to become a little bolder in sharing Gods love with others.
Verse 14 says: And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ.
What a cool statement, that because of his chains it gives other people confidence in doing more for the cause of Christ, because he is diligent in sharing Gods love with everyone who comes in his path, because he is not letting his circumstances stop him from the mission God has for him, many people are motivated and confident in the sharing of their faith.
As I started to think about this I realized there are two things God wanted me to take away from this passage. First, find people who inspire you and watch what they do. Understand why they do what they do, study them and figure out how I can take my boldness to the next level.
I usually get inspired from other people when I see them doing what God has called them to do, especially when they persevere and push through hard circumstances to make it happen. So if I can find people that inspire me, that will help me to stay motivated and keep pushing to become the person that God has created me to be.
The second thing is this – be an inspiration for others. As I push through my conditions and become bold in living my life for Christ, that will motivate others to do the same. So I have to ask myself, is what I am doing motivating and inspiring for others? Do I make the hard choices to press on and do the things that I know God wants me to do, am I using every situation that I am in to advance the kingdom of God?
Paul is not bound by prison bars, he just changed his target market as the business world would say. For a while he was able to travel and speak to people where he wanted, but then his circumstances changes dramatically. But this did not change his mission; it just changed where he accomplished his mission.
So I challenge myself with this: Can I be so focused on doing what God wants me to do, that no matter where I am or what my situation is, I will find a way to share Gods love with those around me?
