In this scripture Paul is writting from a prison cell sending a letter of encouragement to other brothers in the faith. I love this for so many reasons but 2 stand out the most. First thing is I love how he counts it a privlage to suffer for Christ. Since when do we rejoice in that? So often I am such a weenie I am ready to throw in the towel when life gets hard. I love how they rejoiced in there suffering and I love how even from a jail cell he was encouraging others. Paul had the gift of encouragement and nothing was going to stop him from using his gifts to further the kingdom of God.
Secondly, I love how he declares that we are all in this struggle together. Don't you just ever feel like you are the only christian who suffers and struggles? I do. Why is that? The enemy wants us to believe this stupid lie because then we begin to isolate ourselves and then we will be prone to give up. Paul also states that He has struggled and is in the midst of a struggle. Although Paul was in a prison cell struggling he still was working for the kingdom of the Lord!
Do you see why I love Paul. He encourages me.
He encourages me to rejoice in my suffering and to thank God for allowinge me to suffer all in the name of Christ. He also encourages me to preserve in my struggles no matter what I am going through. Lately from my blog posts you may have been able to tell that I am struggling, and that's ok. Some days are harder then others, but tonight I am encouraged by Paul. I am uplifted in my faith knowing that no matter what, I will serve my king.
Can I encourage you tonight to read God's word. It has some amazing truths that will uplift, encourage and edify you in your walk. God gave these examples to us so that we can learn and grow from our brothers and sisters from times before us. It's history. :-)
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