Philippians 1:20-21
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
There are times in our lives that, when facing danger of one sort or another, we experience the tangible grip of fear. We may not be paralyzed in the situation, but our reactions seem to move in slow motion. Twice I have encountered deranged men with loaded weapons that could have easily taken my life. Time stood still in both occurrences, and only later could I normalize.
Fear is not restricted to physical danger. One of the areas that the enemy of our souls uses to impart fear into our spirits is in the sharing of our faith. We may have a sincere desire to share, but the fear of being rejected and scorned causes us to freeze up.
In today’s Scripture, Paul is well aware that he is facing a very uncertain future. He has already encountered persecution and pain, and he knows that more of the same awaits him. Still, Paul’s main concern is that his life will exalt Jesus. His greatest desire, be it torture or death, is to remain faithful: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
The question I continually ask myself is: What am I willing to endure in order to be a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I willing to endure snickers, scorn, or even worse? I pray that I may always be a worthy Servant!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil