Paul was in prison, living in discomfort, under threat, and probably with not enough to eat. He had been preaching the good news of Jesus and now he is stuck in prison. And yet he is joyful because even his imprisonment is moving the gospel forward! His life doesn’t make any sense without the inspiration of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus is God come to be human. We just celebrated that at Christmas. Jesus is King, but unlike any king we’ve ever seen. He was humble. He served. He exercised no privilege. He didn’t escape the pain or suffering of being human. He even died, just like we do. Actually, he died a violent death, unlike most of us.
And there is the model who inspired Paul so much that even in prison, he rejoiced! Life with Christ is that good!!
It takes a lot of courage to face imprisonment. It’s a very vulnerable place to be. The truth is that all real courage begins with risk-taking and vulnerability. Through Christ, that kind of courage is possible.
Peace,
Pastor Mia
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