Saturday 29 Oct 2022

October 29: Philippians 1:18-26

Key Verse: Philippians 1:18
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Devotion:
As the apostle wrote these words, I’m sure he would have been thinking about the joys which await him in Heaven rather than thinking about the persecution or other woes which could await him on earth. This is one thing we face as Christians all the time, facing rejection, ridicule and other horrible things just because someone objects to you pointing out the truths in life!

Nobody likes to be told they are wrong or that there are shortcomings in the way they live or act. I can remember a few times in my life where I pointed out the shortcoming of the business that I was involved with and the bosses objected strongly to what I had to say – so much so I was forced to resign on one occasion just because I did what had to be done to save my bosses from blame for what was about to happen.

I thank God I do not have to do such things for God because I know He always stands for the truth and always expects righteousness in all cases. I am not ashamed for standing up for God at any time. What I do get ashamed about is when people ask me to stand up for them when I know they are doing things wrong.

Christ did what had to be done and was blamed for doing what He did. He stood up for the truth and people objected. They upheld their own ideals instead of the truth Christ was holding up. This is what we need to do as Christians – Jesus set the example for us to live by.

Points to Ponder:
Do you take shortcuts to save embarrassment?

Will you stand up for Christ’s truth?