I have been reading through Philippians lately, and it just blows me away how Paul looked at his life here on earth.
At times, Paul almost seems to have an overwhelmingly positive attitude. He constantly finds reasons to rejoice.
Then it struck me, he is writing this letter with his hands in chains. Paul is in prison!
Yet he does not appear to focus on the difficulty of his situation. His heart burns for one thing, the kingdom of God. He wants to advance the kingdom by preaching and teaching the Gospel. And nothing appears to matter to him as much as this mission.
When our life goals are focused on ourselves, our happiness, or dare I say our freedom, can easily get tossed back and forth like a leaf in the wind. But when we align our agenda with that of the Holy Spirit, wanting only the kingdom to advance, our whole perspective can change.
And that is what I see with Paul, his mind is on building God's kingdom, not his own, and certainly not any man's kingdom.
Paul's perspective is clear, even his imprisonment is being used for the Gospel and he's good with that.
"Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, 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 brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear." 1:12-14 (NIV)
What is our agenda? Where do we focus our efforts on?
Maybe the below shows an answer to how Paul focuses his mind, and how he encourages us to do the same.
"Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you." Phil 4:8-9 (AMP)
Where are your thoughts today?
