Our Bible verse for today: “It has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brother and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” Philippians 1:13-14 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Serve Christ the best you can, right where you are.”
We often think of the Apostle Paul as a great preacher, teacher, and evangelist. We picture him as he traveled around the known world of his day on daring mission trips, preaching to large crowds, winning people to faith in Christ, starting new churches, confronting hypocritical religious leaders, debating with high government officials, and ultimately writing more than half of the New Testament.
It is true that Paul did all of those things, but he also spent a lot of time in very humble circumstances with no home of his own, with no source of income, and relying on the hospitality and generosity of others just to stay alive. Additionally, he spent lots of time in jails and prisons, sometimes in deplorable conditions.
The letter to the Philippians is a case in point. When Paul wrote this letter he was incarcerated in some kind of a Roman prison, in chains, awaiting trial. But Paul didn’t allow his humble and low profile circumstances to prevent him from being productive for Christ. It’s true that he was in jail, but so was everyone else around him, including the other prisoners, the guards, and the jail staff. Paul had a captive audience in a very literal sense, and so they became his mission field.
It’s not necessary to be a high profile preacher or teacher in order to make a meaningful difference for the cause of Christ. You don’t have to be an international missionary serving in some exotic location. You can make a difference right where you are, doing exactly what you do every day – in your home, at your job, in the neighborhood, and in your church. 99.9% of all Christians are regular people living regular lives doing regular things. The great preacher and author Robert McCracken once wrote, “A man can be as truly a saint in a factory as in a monastery, and there is as much need of him in the one as in the other.”
I encourage you to serve Christ the best you can, right where you are, doing exactly what you are doing.
Oak Hill Baptist Church