Paul the apostle was in
prison as he wrote the letter to the Philippian church, and he knew
there were preachers who continued to share the gospel of Jesus
Christ even while he was incarcerated. Some of these preachers had
good motives, and others did not. For Paul, it was more important
that Jesus Christ was preached than the motive of those who
proclaimed it, and in chapter one and verse nineteen of Philippians
we see another conclusion Paul drew from the sharing of the gospel.
He wrote:
For I know that this
shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ,
The
verse begins, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation
through your prayer,...” Paul employed the word “For”
which means “because of or as a result of”, and he knew “this
shall turn to my salvation”. Because these men were proclaiming
the gospel, they were fulfilling the very drive of Paul's life. In
other words, because these men shared the plan of salvation, Paul's
mission was being completed, and he believed their preaching would
lead to his own salvation from the imprisoned state in which he found
himself. Paul added that this would occur “through your prayer”
which he noted was the essential element for any chance of
salvation for himself or anyone else for that matter.
The
verse goes on to say, “and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ,” Paul stated the importance of “the supply”
or “provision and abundant resources” “of the Spirit of
Jesus Christ”. If there was any hope of Paul being released
from prison it would be on account of the prayers and “supply of
the Spirit of Jesus Christ”. It is essential for the “Spirit
of Jesus Christ” to be involved in the salvation of people, and
Paul knew there was no greater source with whom to appeal for his
personal salvation from prison than Jesus Christ.
As we
ponder Paul's words, what would we like to be “saved” from today?
Are we in an “imprisoned” state from which only prayers and “the
Spirit of Jesus Christ” can set us free? Do we realize the
abundant “supply” that the Lord Jesus has for all of those
who will simply come to Him in prayer and ask for it? Oh if we feel
jailed, incarcerated or confined by anything today, let us pray to
the Lord God Almighty whose abundant “supply of the Spirit of
Jesus Christ” will not only set us free, but will release every
soul who will turn in repentance to Him.
Next
time Paul shares how it is important that Christ be magnified in his
body, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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