A Life Worthy Of The Gospel - In A World That Is Not

The passage for April is Philippians 1:18b-30:

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.
Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

A Life Worthy Of The Gospel - In A World That Is Not

For our last article this month, we will look at one of the most simply stated profound commands in the Scriptures:

"...Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ..."

In the context of the passage, Paul is still working on his point that we will face persecution and hardship because of our faith in Jesus. Persecution will also come because of how we will and WILL NOT operate in this world, because of our Christian convictions. 

There could hardly be a more timely lesson. 

In our culture, we have seen a complete 180-degree turn in attitudes about some of the bedrock principles of society. With the shift, Christians in our nation have faced the full assault of the cultural leaders, the misrepresentation of many in the media and have even been attacked by organizations ("churches") who claim the name of Christ. 

We should make it clear, though, that we are not the only ones who feel some form of this attack for our beliefs. For example, the American Humanist Association celebrates "Openly Secular Day" to "End discrimination and increase acceptance" of their humanistic-atheist worldview. 

While looking at an overwhelmingly secular-humanist culture around us, some Christians may laugh at the notion that humanists and atheists are discriminated against. But please don't. 

The truth is, every worldview and every group that people associate with will have other people who are adamantly against that worldview, against that group - they will be against us. It always comes down to an "us versus them" mentality.

Christians, Muslims and Atheists; Republicans and Democrats; Young people and Older people; People who embrace homosexuality and those who fight the temptation to act on homosexual desires — everybody from those groups has a story from their own life or the life of a friend that illustrates hardship that came came from others because of their beliefs. 

Some were simply mocked. Some were kicked out of their families or lost jobs. In other parts of the world, it can mean losing your life. 

When it comes to discrimination and persecution, Christians shouldn't see ours as the only plight. We are just another group suffering under the effects of The Fall. Until Jesus comes back, there will be suffering and strife, contention and conflict. 

The difference that we can take from this passage is that, while we may experience a similar kind of abuse that other groups have felt and still DO feel, our response to the attack is to be saturated in the Gospel truth. 

Jesus says you are blessed when you are persecuted FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE. He says that, as they persecuted Him and the prophets of the Old Testament and even John the Baptist, so too will they persecute you.

Paul says that if we share in the suffering of Jesus, we will also share in His glory.

So, don't go picking a fight in the culture. But when the fight comes to your home, workplace or school, live peaceably, gently, respectfully and lovingly (as much as it is up to you).

When you receive evil words, actions, etc., respond with loving kindness. Do not fight the world with the worldly tactics, trust Jesus. The church remains when all else fails.

When you,"...Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ..." 

And when you stand, "...firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel..." 

And when you are, "...not frightened in anything by your opponents..." 

Then eventually (not over night, but by the end of the age) your love, faith and steadfastness will be, "...a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God."

So don't freak out. God will receive His glory. No one can stop it. Even the mockers and persecutors and deniers will eventually kneel before Jesus and confess that He is the LORD. 

Jesus will do the heavy lifting. Just be Gospel People. Be Good News People. 

The fight seems overwhelming, but the victory has already been declared and will SOON be experienced. Be patient.

Be honest about sin (Yours First) and be Zealous to share the Savior.

Conduits of Grace

The passage for April is Philippians 1:18b-30:
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.
Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Conduits of Grace

We have spent some time discussing the two sides of the coin for the average Christian, If we remain in this life, it is for the good of others. If we go and be with Jesus, that is far better because WE GET TO BE WITH JESUS!

With all of that said, though. We SHOULD long to see Jesus. But we SHOULD NOT fall into a suicidal hatred for life on this side of eternity. As one pastor has said, Jesus made a point of praying that the Father would NOT take us out of this world (John 17:15), so we should see the value in staying here until God sees fit to take us home. His timing is better than ours.

One way to avoid hatred for life is to see God's purpose for keeping you alive.

The Apostle Paul says that, more than anything he is sticking around for the church's "progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again." 

Paul isn't their source of joy. Paul is a conduit for the joy to pass through. 

A conduit is the device used to move something (like water or electricity) from one place to another.

We all want electricity in our homes. The way electricity travels from the power plant to our home is through the conduit of electrical lines. We all want fresh, clean water. It comes to us through plumbing. 

We all want to grow in our faith and to remain steadfast through trials. The joy and faith are delivered to us from God through His Spirit, His Word and in the case of this passage - God delivers joy and growth through his people. He helps the Philippians through Paul. He helps the Warsawians (the church at Warsaw) through you.

The way in which we make it through the troublesome days ahead is to see ourselves the same way Paul saw himself - as conduits of God's Good News, bringing progress and joy in the faith to others. 

So, how can you live as a conduit this week? Do what Paul does in this letter:

— Know the people God has put around you. 

— Know where they are struggling.

— Know their past enough to help them in the present.

— Help their present circumstances by pointing them to their Future Hope.

— Encourage them in what they are doing well.

— Correct them in love when they are off course.

— Encourage them to live for others more than themselves. 

And remember that there is an end goal to all of this. just like Paul, you are designed to help bring progress and joy in the faith so that others can... "have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus."

When Paul says to "GLORY" in Jesus Christ, the word may be easier to understand as to rejoice in or to boast in Jesus.

As we progress and find joy in the faith, we will again and again be pointed to the beauty of the Cross and the Resurrection.

Paul was confident and happy to go on in this broken world because he knew he was on the planet to help people see that Jesus is awesome. Jesus is more weighty and more in control than any of the trials or triumphs of this world and so we can stand steadfast in hard times and good times and we can encourage others through any and every storm because we are people of the cross.

We are on the winning side.

The light and momentary afflictions of this world are NOTHING compared to the Glory to come.

You, yes YOU, Christian are alive to share that good news.

While God has you here, you are here with a purpose. Live like the saved. Sing like the saved. Hope like the saved. Overcome like the saved. And go tell others how to have the hope that is in you. 

To Die is Gain

The passage for April is Philippians 1:18b-30: 

  

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.
Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

What Does "To Die is Gain" Mean? 

While the normal human response to death is to fear it and to do whatever possible to avoid it, Paul's response is an eager longing for death when God grants it. 

In fact, in another place Paul says that this hope brings him courage. What can people do to him, what fear would stop him from sharing the Good News when, "...we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

OH! That we could share that longing and that courage with him today. 

So often, we Christians are just as put off by (or downright scared of) the thought of our death as any of our not-yet-believing neighbors. And this should not be. Yes, I know that we should desire to stay here for the good of our loved ones (we saw that part of Paul's heart in the last article), but even Paul still says he would rather go and be with Jesus. 

"It would be far better," Paul says. 

So, instead of trying to use mere human words to clarify WHY it is better to be with Jesus, we will look at some words from the Holy Spirit about that glorious future for us in Christ both - right after death AND in the resurrection. 

Don't just skim over these. Pray over them. Let your thoughts dwell and imagination roam in the pictures and promises that God gives us (these are all from the English Standard Version of the Bible's website). And please, if you have not been in the habit of working through One Year 1 Letter with another Christian yet, begin with this article and this month's passage. Reminding each other of the promises of our future hope is one of God's primary ways of encouraging His children. So, here you go:

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. (1 Corinthians 15:42-43)

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

O death, where is your sting?”

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,

and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the LORD has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the LORD; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:8-9)

“Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

come, buy and eat!

and he who has no money,

without money and without price.

Come, buy wine and milk

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

and delight yourselves in rich food.

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good."

(Isaiah 55:1-2)

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. (Ezekiel 36:24-30)

And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:29-30)

  Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

(Revelation 7:13-17)

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:4-7)

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)

What Does "To Live Is Christ" Mean?

The passage for April is Philippians 1:18b-30: 
  

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

What Does "To Live Is Christ" Mean? 

From this point on, through the end of chapter two, Paul begins circling around ONE BIG IDEA and it starts here in verse 21: "For to me to live is Christ..."

To live is Christ, may more easily be understood as to live AS Christ. Not to live as a messiah or a savior, but in a way that follows in the footsteps of the humility and the selflessness and the service and the love that we see in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. 

Paul will unpack this idea from many different angles. First in his role as a leader of the early church. Then in the life of an individual Christian, then in the life of the Church as a people, then in the living examples of two servants of the Church, Timothy and Epaphroditus.   

Since we will see the idea fleshed out in all those different ways, today we will simply look at a couple of summary statements. Don't just read these as information, though. The heart of Paul, which he instructs the Philippians to imitate is the heart of Jesus himself. When we were baptized in faith we publicly proclaimed that we DIED to our old self and to our old way of life and were born again into a new life with Jesus. 

These statements are nothing less than a template to reorient our lives to match up with. When we do radically reorient around this kind of heart for others we find freedom from many of the distractions and temptations of this world and we find a usefulness and purpose in our life.

The first reason that Paul says, "To live is Christ" is that:  
"If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me."

While Paul would much rather be done with all of the struggles and trials of this life, he understands that his life is part of the Great, Glorious, Good and Gracious plan of God. Paul sees that he is alive because God wants to include Paul as a partner in that plan. 

Paul's purpose in life is to labor or WORK to bring the not-yet-believers to faith by proclaiming the Gospel and to labor or WORK to build up the church and train the church to live on mission and protect themselves from false teaching. 

But, THIS IS IMPORTANT, we know from other things that Paul has written, that he knows his job is to WORK, but to trust God for the RESULTS. 

In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the church in Corinth not to hang their faith on particular leaders, because, "I planted (evangelized), Apollos watered (preached, taught and pastored), BUT GOD GAVE THE GROWTH. So, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

And in Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes that 

"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND, THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM."

In other words, we are here to do work for the Kingdom, and we should be faithful in the calling God has placed on our lives. But, we can work boldly and confidently because we are not working alone, we are walking in a path Jesus has already trail blazed for us and we are reaching people whom the Holy Spirit has already begun working on. 

This should be good news because the burden on ministry is not on your shoulders and it should be humbling because we cannot take credit, but instead - should point all of the praise and thanks to God alone who gives the growth. 

So first, "To Live is Christ" means to be faithful while God determines how fruitful you will be.  Is that how Jesus lived? Yes. 

Jesus labored for the lost and left the fruitfulness to the will of the Father. Jesus said it this way:

"...The son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing." (John 5:19) and "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44) 

Then, Jesus said the same relationship between His work and the Father's will would be true for our relationship to Jesus:

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING." (John 15:5)

To live is Christ: You walk in faith, God produces the fruit.

Secondly, Paul writes that:
"to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account."

What Paul demonstrates here is that living here means dying to SELF here. We will look at the other half of these verses next time, but to tease it out a bit, Paul is CLEAR, he would rather be with Jesus. 

And, while many of us are fearful of the moment of death, nearly any Christian who has suffered on this Earth with sickness, physical pain, loss, heartache, financial woes and the rest - Any Christian who is secure in their faith can give a resounding AMEN! to Paul's preference of death and reunion with Jesus. 

But, Oh! How we hate to think of our loved ones, especially those who rely on us, if and when we leave this life. Anyone with children still at home or older parents in their care know this feeling. 

Paul looks at the churches that he has helped to plant as kind of a spiritual family - like his children in the faith, as he calls Timothy in 2:22. And with that heart, Paul says, without any resentment to them, I will stay. For you. 

And again, this is the same heart that Jesus had when He looked out over His people. 

"When He saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) 

To live is Christ: Dying to self, to live for others. 

Faithful, self-less living. In what areas of your life do you already see this? In what areas could you grow in this?

As homework this week, please thank those people in your life and acknowledge when you see this "To live is Christ" faithful selflessness.  

Pushing Past the Light Momentary Afflictions

The passage for April is Philippians 1:18b-30: 
  

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Pushing Past the Light Momentary Afflictions 

Following the idea from the beginning of February's passage - and the idea from the end of March's passage - Paul points again toward REJOICING to start our passage for April.

Rejoicing. You may be saying to yourself, "Again?! How many times are we going to cover the same ideas in this letter?"

I'm glad you asked. While the themes are repeated over and again, they are applied in different ways. Also, The Bible is full of repetition because we all have a habit of forgetting the truth and drifting back out toward the world. This biblical repetition helps to anchor our hearts to where we are designed to stay and grow. 

This month, Paul says he rejoices for two reasons. The first reason has already been covered last month. Paul is rejoicing because Christ is being proclaimed! 

The second reason to REJOICE is that Paul knows that his current problems are not the end of the story.

We all have struggles, trials, problems, ordeals, tragedies and hardships. Some are self-inflicted, some are brought on by the sins of other people and some are a combination of the two.

We also all, everyone of us - including YOU - have an opportunity to take action during the storms in our lives and push through this light and momentary affliction. There are several ways to do that, today we will discuss one:

Take action by keeping your eyes focused on the future promise. You make it through this stormy season, whether it has been a bad day, bad week, bad month, bad year or bad decade - you make it through this season by keeping your eyes fixed upon the future promise. 

But wait. 

We're not merely talking about Heaven here. 

This is not just "Pie in the Sky" theology. 

It is true, there is NO greater reward to put our hope in than the reward of seeing Jesus face to face, hearing "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and enter into your rest." 

Paul writes in verses 19 and 20 that he knows that everything will turn out for his deliverance, possibly through death. 

But, there are other milestones of joy and fulfillment that Jesus grants to Paul, and gives to us, during our journey to the GREAT REWARD. Those are good too, and they help to keep us going while we walk in the valley. 

Read the whole passage again. There is no doubt, that Paul wants to go see Jesus. Like, RIGHT NOW. And, even with that desire, Paul strives on because he has a God-given mission to help others. And in that he can rejoice. 

He says that he knows that the reason God has not taken him home is that God still wants him to build up the early church. 

You, Christian, have the same mission. You may sometimes wonder why you are still here. If for no other reason, you are here to pray for, to encourage, to instruct, and to support your local body of believers - WE are blessed by God to have YOU in our lives.

AND you are still here to share the Gospel with as many people as you can. If you have breath in your lungs and blood beating in your heart - that is the reason. 

If God wanted you to be with Him right now, instead of here with us, He would make that happen. In a heartbeat, he can stop your heart from beating.

However, Jesus prayed to the Father and asked that He would not take us - or you - out of the World, but only that the Father would protect us - and you - from the evil one while we are still here (John 17:15).

So, that's all great. But, you may be saying to yourself, "That's sounds wonderful. But the reality is, this season really hurts! I am in a lot of pain! Everything seems so empty!"

If any of those thoughts are yours, you are not alone. If the storms of life were pleasant, they wouldn't be called storms.

That's where the real beauty of verse 19 is found. Paul never tries to make the hard life seem awesome. But he shows us how to bear it.

First. Prayers of Others.

I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance (v.19)

When we are honest about our struggles and when we let others into the mess and pain of our lives, we invite them into the God-given cure for making it through this life. There is no such thing as a loner Christian in the Bible. Jesus commissioned a group, sent them off in twos and established the church as those who gather together in his name.

Knowing that our task was hard, He gave us each other to support and encourage and build one another up. That is through prayers and many other means. But other Christians can only help you if they know where you need help. Don't hold it in. Jesus has already forgiven you, you already have His acceptance, so don't let pride keep you from asking for help.

Second. The Holy Spirit.

I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance (v.19)

And finally, verse 19 tells us that Paul gets his help and finds reason to rejoice because of the help of the Holy Spirit.

You should not try to do this without the Spirit of God's help. In fact, you cannot get very far without Him. So many people try to tell you that God never gives you more than you can handle. The bible paints a picture of God giving people more than they can handle ALL THE TIME - it is at that point that we see our desperation and we remember that He is there for us.

We get the help. We are delivered. He gets the glory. And in that, we rejoice.

In fact, this isn't just how WE are to operate, it is the way that JESUS operated. It was not until the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism that His earthly ministry really took off.

The Spirit led Him into the wilderness and was there to help Jesus use the Word to defeat the temptations of Satan. And in Luke 4:14-21, we are told that it was in the power of the Spirit that Jesus returned from the wilderness to Galilee and began teaching. And Jesus gives the Holy Spirit the credit for His anointing and commission.

So, the take away for you as we start this month's passage is this:

Things are difficult.

The hardship is NOT the end of the story.

If you are in Christ, He has given you His People and His Spirit to help you carry on and find JOY - right now - while you wait for the GREAT REWARD.