Philippians 1:19-20

Passage

I will rejoice; I know that through your prayers and through the help of the Holy Spirit that my imprisonment will turn out in my deliverance.  It is my eager expectation and hope that I should be disgraced in nothing.  I have full confidence that even now as always that Christ will be exalted within me whether through life or death.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul is giving us an incredible declaration of power in these verses.  Paul knows that it is the power of the Holy Spirit that will bring him through into deliverance.  Of course, Paul is naturally speaking of human deliverance from prison.  But the reality is that it is the Holy Spirit that brings us through to deliverance on the scale of salvation and eternal life, too.  The power to save is not ours; it is of the Holy Spirit.

How does this teaching line up with the age-old debate of “works-righteousness” and “saved by grace?”  Is it easy or difficult to believe that the power to save is the Holy Spirit’s?  Is it easy or difficult to live as though the power to save is the Holy Spirit’s?

Second Thought:

Paul is also concerned about being disgraced – or put to shame.  Here we see Paul transfer from the worldly to the spiritual.  Paul is in prison.  He’s a captive.  From the perspective of the world, it is a little too late for him to worry about being disgraced.  But he doesn’t care about the world’s definition of shame.  He cares about God’s definition of shame.  Paul knows that so long as he continues to proclaim the Gospel and preach Christ truly, he will not be disgraced.  So long as we stay true to God, we can avoid being disgraced spiritually.

In what ways do you worry about being disgraced from a worldly perspective?  How does that worry of being disgraced keep you from doing the work of the Lord?  In what ways are you concerned about being disgraced before God?  How does that worry keep you within His will?

Third Thought:

Paul speaks about Christ being exalted.  That is the goal.  Paul’s statement of trust in these verses is simply jaw-dropping.  What is important is Christ being exalted - even more than whether he lives or dies.  What is important is Christ being exalted.

Do you live with that kind of focus?  Is Christ being exalted the lens which you evaluate the whole of your life?  If so, how can you keep that up?  If not, what can you do about it?  Is your life or death truly less significant than the exultation of Christ?

Passage for Tomorrow: Philippians 1:21