God’s Purpose in Your Trial

 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. Philippians 1:12 NLT

What do you do when the thing you despised becomes the mission in your life? Sometimes, the position you take might be influenced by your family connections, your education or the area of the world where you reside. But as the circumstances of your life change, the information that is available to you also changes and can cause a change in your position. It’s never easy to turn away from the things you held dear to a new position.    

In the New Testament, Paul previously known as Saul, had an experience just like this.  So who was he? Philippians 3:5-6, tells us about his history. “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”  He was so focused on destroying the church of Jesus Christ, that those who stoned Stephen left their outer garments with him.

Saul’s was committed to his cause; he had no difficulty taking the lives those who were followers of Jesus Christ.  As he was on his way, to get letters of approval from the priests, he had a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ. This experience changed his position. He was now a member of the organization he tried to destroy. As a minister of the gospel, he was persecuted; he was even placed in jail. But Paul saw his imprisonment as an opportunity to spread the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 11:25-26, Paul said, “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.”  Paul never complained about his circumstances, he saw them as an opportunity to spread the gospel.

Thought for Today: Friend, there is purpose in your struggles.

Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory.