In Philippians 1:12 I read, “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.” (NLT)
My witness to the world will come out of my weaknesses, not my strengths.
A lot of people have it backwards: They think the world is impressed by Christians’ prosperity. That doesn’t impress the world. They see that everywhere! What impresses non-believers is how I as a believer handle adversity, not prosperity.
My suffering, not my success, gives me credibility. My faithfulness, not my fame, earns respect.
The apostle Paul was a pro at using his pain as a witness. He wrote from a prison dungeon in Rome, “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News” (Philippians 1:12 NLT).
Paul used his pain to model the message God had given him. While he was chained in prison, he wrote letters to the church that became part of the New Testament.
Paul said, “In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God” (2 Corinthians 6:4 NLT). That includes how I handle pain, failure, defeat, problems, mistakes, sin, and all of the bad things that happen in my life.
It doesn’t take God’s power to handle good; anybody can handle good. It takes God’s power to patiently endure.
The world doesn’t have a good answer for how to endure. But as a follower of Christ I need to patiently endure suffering, hardship, and trouble of every kind as it’s a way to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus.
My deepest ministry will come out of my deepest hurt, and my deepest life message will come out of my deepest pain.
In every area of your life where I’ve had pain, I have a testimony. How will I use it to help bring others from despair to fullness of life in Christ?
In summary, everything that happens to me can help to spread the Good News. My witness to the world will come out of my weaknesses, and not my strengths. What impresses non-believers is how I, as a believer handle adversity, not prosperity. My suffering, not my success will give me credibility. My faithfulness, not my fame, will help earn respect. Paul used his pain to model the message God had given him. In everything I do, I am to show that I am a true minister of God, in how I handle pain, failure, defeat, problems, mistakes, sin, and all of the bad things that happen in my life. It takes God’s power to patiently endure. The world doesn’t have a good answer for how to endure. But as a follower of Christ I need to patiently endure suffering, hardship, and trouble of every kind as it’s a way to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus. My deepest ministry will come out of my deepest hurt, and my deepest life message will come out of my deepest pain. So consider how I will use it to help bring others from despair to fullness of life in Christ.
God uses everything for his good. I may not always know why, but he will take it to build me and use it to model to the world what he can do. No matter what happens, My Father and Jesus will always be there to see me through it. God wants to use me to help bring about this kingdom and I am grateful for this. Father I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I ask this through your Son Jesus’ name, amen.
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