"But I would ye should understand, bretheren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the bretheren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear" ~ Philippians 1:12-14Here is a "blue stone" passage which contains so many facets we cannot see them all at once. But from it I [Eugenia Price, the author] have come to see that Paul found a creative use for everything that happened to him. In our collection of "purple stone" verses which light up God's answer to human suffering, we will speak much more of this great fact of the continuing redemption of Jesus Christ. A fact too often overlooked by even the most sincere Christians.
He is a Redeemer. He will continue to be a Redeemer. Paul longed for the Philippians to grasp this truth. "... I would ye should understand, bretheren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel ..." Others near Paul saw that his bonds were "in Christ." He accepted his bonds as from the hand of the One who meant for him only the very best. Then others took courage and began to speak for Christ without fear.
Paul never wastes anything. "Nevertheless ... not I, but Christ liveth in me ..." This was Paul's secret. He literally "wasted" human lives before Christ came to live within him. Now, he is living because of this same Christ, and therefore nothing is wasted in his life. Not even his bonds. Not even death.
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
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