Paul writes his letter to the Philippians while he is in prison. In 1:12, Paul assures the recipeints of his letter that,
what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel
This got me to thinking. As a believer in Christ, shouldn’t this be true of all my circumstances? Shouldn’t I be able to say that what has happened to me – the good, the bad, the surprising and unexpected, the mundane – has served to advance the gospel? Whether it is in my own life or in the lives of others, it is my desire that God, who is sovereign over all my circumstances, would use my circumstances to reveal His glory.
One way in particular that God is able to use the circumstances in my life to advance the gospel is in how I respond to my circumstances. Do I allow my circumstances to dictate my attitude and countenance? Or, am I learning to be content in every circumstance? Do I allow my circumstances to distract me? Or, do I fix my eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of my faith? Do I allow my circumstances to cause my heart to faint and grow anxious? Or, do I acknowledge where my help comes from and in everything,by prayer and petition, present my requests to God and experience a peace that transcends all understanding? Do I cry out in anger to God and ask why? Or, do I cry out, Abba and trust that His grace will be sufficient and that His power will be made perfect in my weakness?
If I truly desire that God would be glorified through my circumstances, I need to remember a few things.
- God is sovereign – nothing happens unless He allows it to happen.
- God works ALL things together for good – sometimes God’s good is worked out by miraculously loosening the chains and opening the prison doors and sometimes God’s good is worked out by giving you songs of praise to sing while incarcerated behind bars.
- God is – it is important to remember all of the attributes (holy, loving, faithful, patient, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, …) that God has revealed about Himself. This helps provide the context to realize that the sovereign God that allows things to happen has righteous and pure motivations in allowing those things to happen.
Ultimately, I pray that God uses the circumstances in my life to reveal His glory and to sanctify me such that I am further conformed into the image of His Son. In everything, it’s my desire to say that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel – both in my own life and the lives of a watching world.
