Mark Sorensen “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” (Philippians 1:12)
A man who was shipwrecked was able to reach an uninhabited island. In order to protect himself from the elements, he gathered what few possessions he had managed to salvage and went to work to build a small hut from which he would sleep and constantly and prayerfully scan the horizon for the approach of a ship.
Returning one evening after a search for food, he was terrified to find that his little hut was completely enveloped in flames thanks to the fire he had built not far from the home he had created. Yet, almost as if by Divine mercy, this hard affliction was changed into a mighty advantage. Not long after he put out the fire, a ship appeared and anchored not far off the island. When the captain stepped ashore, he greeted the weary, shipwrecked soul with the following, “Thank goodness you had the fortitude to build that fire. We saw your smoke signal and came right away.”
Last week we kicked off the “Happiness Habit” series with a look at Philippians 1.
It’s amazing that the Apostle Paul – in chains, no less – was actually able to confess that what looked to be hopeless was actually serving as a platform to advance the Gospel.
Remember, Paul was chained to a Roman guard. The guards typically worked six-hour shifts. That’s four guards a day for the two years Paul was in prison. Do the math and you find that that’s nearly 3,000 unique mission opportunities to share the Good News of the Gospel found in the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Remember last Sunday’s big idea:
True joy means living in the joy of the Lord, not in reaction to our circumstances.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Sunday, let’s move into Philippians 2 and talk about this one: “The Joy in Unity.” Want to read ahead? Read Philippians 2:1-11
