Bible Reading: Philippians 1:12-30
“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
As humans we all are forced to face problems every single day. Through it all we often find ourselves getting bogged down by the adversities we face in our lives which affect our daily moods and can also affect our perspective on life itself. Philippians 1 is Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians, and he writes to them to thank them for praying for him while he is in prison. In verses 12-30, Paul specifically lets the Philippians know that he is thankful for the adversities he has faced as it is just an another opportunity to praise Jesus. God puts us in certain situations so that we will be able to become stronger and we will be able to grow from the problems we face. Paul reminds the reader that our adversities are opportunities to turn to God for help and we should be able to rejoice in that! This is where one could say that our testimony is our gift from God. A testimony is someone’s opportunity to share a struggle that they have faced and they are able to share how God has saved them or worked through them during that adversity. We as a church often have testimony nights so that we have an opportunity to share how God has worked in our lives. Nights like this are so important to give testament that God is truly working in our lives and to share with other so that they can get a real life example of how God has changes our life. Some testimonies could even turn a non believer to a believer, that’s why it’s important to share your testimony at any opportunity you can! It’s important to let others know that God works miracles in our day to day lives. God wants us to show others how much He has done us, that’s why Paul says that his arrest is an “advance” for the gospel. Sharing our testimonies is just another way to for us to be a witness in God’s goodness and grace. In old testament,Joseph,son of Jacob could have become bitter because of what his brothers had done to him and the injustice of his imprisonment. Instead, he worked diligently and grew in wisdom and responsibility. His authorities found him faithful and promoted him to positions of authority. In time, Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh and coordinated efforts to sustain the nation during a seven-year famine.In conclusion, anytime you have a problem in life, small or large, look to God for refugee. He will be there for you as you face your difficult time and after the challenge has passed so praise God and thank Him for being with you.
MTCFB Youth 