“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).
When new Christians begin memorizing Bible verses-
Philippians 4:4 is almost always included:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
But when those young Christians discover that Paul wrote that verse while confined to prison, shackled in chains-
– it suddenly takes on a whole new meaning:
Rejoice always, even when your faith might cost you your life!
Crises have a way of forcing us to clarify what we actually believe.
Paul was excited (Philippians 1:12) when his faith landed him in prison-
– because he discovered that the Gospel was being preached even more.
In other words-
His crisis was not a crisis of faith.
It was a crisis because of his faith.
And it was a crisis that resulted in his faith-
– being strengthened,
– not weakened.
When Peter was charged with being friends with Christ-
– he denied the relationship existed. Matthew 26:69-75.
The shame he felt caused him to clarify his faith.
And it never failed him again.
The next time you face a crisis-
Your faith will be clarified one way or the other.
– either strong or weak.
Plan to be pleased with what that crisis reveals!
(PA)