Day Three

Bible Reading

Phil 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Devotional

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and just from the sound of their voice and body language you thought they were going to share some bad news? What if they shared good news instead? You would be surprised I’m sure. Everything about the situation seemed bad, but at the very end, you learned something great had happened after all. We see trials and troubles in our lives and in the lives of those around us and we think there is no possible way that this could work out for good, but somehow God uses that circumstance for his glory. The death of a loved one, losing your job, a car crash or a negative health report. God can even use the most painful and challenging moments to draw us closer to Him.. This happened with Paul; he was beaten, tortured, jailed, blinded and shipwrecked, but each time God used the negative circumstances in Paul’s life to expand the kingdom of God. The only variable in these situations was Paul himself. Paul came to realize and see the world around him through the lens of heaven, and we too can see life like this as well. Instead of panic, we have peace, instead of worry, we turn to worship, and instead of chaos, we choose to fix our eyes on Christ.

Question to Think About

How has God used a negative circumstance in your life for good?