Could we point to our own lives as a model for living through tough times? I believe that it is possible to demonstrate a joyful union with Jesus that is alive and vibrant no matter the circumstance – good or bad. Paul understood that Jesus had taken hold of him for a reason. And it was Paul’s personal mission in life to lay hold of “that” for which Christ Jesus took hold of him. Do you see this one simple word: “that”? This simple word reveals the fact that God lays hold of each one of us for a reason. He has a purpose in mind for us.
In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s letter to the Philippians and in reading it, discover a joyful community living together in a confusing world and times of testing, yet living in a way that proved they believed that God was in control. And because they lived as if God was in control, they were able to live together with one another in a way that proved to the world around them that they actually, honestly, genuinely loved and cared for each other. It wasn’t just something they talked about, they lived out lives of self-sacrifice and generosity, even during difficult times.
