Chains

With this lockdown situation that we are all facing around the world - are you feeling defeated? It may be that you are asking yourself the question: 'When is all this going to end?'

The Apostle Paul faced the same situation when he was arrested by the Romans and put into chains (or isolation). We read in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 1:12-14, that this so-called disaster brought upon him for simply preaching the Gospel, was turned into a tremendous witness, and glory for Jesus, because of Paul’s attitude.

In fact, his chains became his trophy. The Oxford Dictionary calls a trophy: “A cup or other decorative object awarded as a prize for a victory or success.” As the old adage goes, "Your attitude determines your altitude."

The great old warrior Paul refused to call those chains (lockdown) defeat. On the contrary, he used them to encourage the Roman palace guard, and more importantly, the Brethren to become more confident and to speak up for Christ more boldly than ever before.

You and I are spiritually in the very same situation right now. We can use this isolation to glorify God through our lives or we can sit in the corner and cry: "Woe is me!"

Jim Elliot, the brave young missionary of 29 years old, who was martyred by a tribe of Indians for his faith in the Amazon jungle many years ago, and who left behind a young wife and baby daughter, said: “It is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”. In other words, we cannot keep our lives but we can have eternal life with Jesus, that no can ever take from us. The world cried out, what a waste of a young and dynamic life, but straight after this terrible tragedy, students all over the world went into the mission field to preach the Gospel. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church!

Today let us use this opportunity of isolation and lockdown to show the world, which is in a total panic mode, just how we as followers of Jesus can glorify His name by our attitude. And by the peace and confidence, we demonstrate the very opposite of fear the world is demonstrating.

God Bless you as you remain patient. This season will soon pass and then Jesus will say to us, through His Holy Spirit: “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Angus and Jill Buchan.
Philippians 1:6