By David ReayTuesday 24 Sep 2019LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. (NLT)
In a park in a town in Alabama, there is a statue to a pest called the boll weevil. This creature wiped out the cotton crop in that area many years before. So why the statue? Because the destruction of the cotton crop encouraged the locals to diversify into peanut farming and other activities which greatly enhanced the fortunes of the region.
Good can come out of bad. Paul speaks of his imprisonment in this way. He may be in prison but it seems he is free to share the good news of Jesus. And given his surroundings in Rome, he is able to share it with influential people whom we might otherwise not encounter. He also says his captivity has freed up other believers to speak boldly. He was out of action but others stepped up. God’s work shouldn’t fall in a heap because one person is out of the way.
It is a matter of perspective. When things turn against us we can sulk in a corner and lament how hard and unfair life is. Or we can look around to see what good may be coming out of our present setback. We don’t naively deny our problem but nor do we get so overcome by it that we lose hope and lose sight of what opportunities this adversity presents to us. How can we advance in the midst of this setback?
We can never presume life will give us an easy ride. Fervent prayer, comprehensive bible knowledge, busy obedience, won’t keep troubles away. So we do well to adopt the right perspective when they come. And this perspective recognises that while our life situations are not always good, God is always good.
Blessings
David