Articles
Poor, Pitiful Paul
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In every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. (Phil. 1:18 )
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)
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So you think you're having a bad day? Put yourself in the shoes of the apostle Paul, and see how your circumstances line up with his.
- Paul was in house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial before Caesar. He was an innocent man who had been framed by enemies determined to destroy him. Instead of traveling around the Empire preaching the gospel--his greatest passion--he was stuck in Rome, limited to talking with whoever was willing to visit him there. Strike one.
- Even among his own brethren, Paul had critics who took advantage of his predicament to promote themselves at his expense (1:15-17). He was not in a position to defend himself, and could only watch helplessly as these critics schemed to undermine his influence. Strike two.
- At the time of writing this epistle, Paul was not sure how his trial would turn out. There was a possibility he would be condemned and executed (1:21-23). Here was a man who was staring death in the face. Strike three.
Poor pitiful Paul. What had he done to deserve all this misery? Why was life being so unfair to him? Where was God in this train wreck of a life?
But read this little letter in its entirety and it becomes obvious that Paul had an entirely different outlook on his circumstances. His letter is saturated with the language of optimism. He repeatedly uses words like rejoice and joy to express his state of mind, a spirit he wanted his readers to possess as well.
- His confinement crimped his style--but it also afforded him an opportunity to spread the gospel within the very household of Caesar himself (1:13; 4:22). Talk about a win-win!
- Sure, critical brethren abused him--but were they not preaching Christ (1:18)? That's a good thing! Rejoice!
- Yes, his execution could come any day now--but then he would be ushered into glory, "which is far better!" (1:23). Ah, the ultimate joy!
When life becomes hard and circumstances seem to conspire against us, we need to remember how Paul coped with his own difficulties. Happiness in life is not a function of how the world treats us, but how we choose to view life. That is a conscious decision we make deep in our hearts, not something that "happens" to us.
Make up your mind to see the positives in all of life's ups and downs, and you will experience the same joy that kept poor pitiful Paul going.
--David
