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Philippians 1:15-19—Living With Confident Hope
Evening Scripture:
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Evening Reflection
Do you know what it means to live with true and confident hope? To live with a faith that withstands hard times, persecution, famine, and despair?
In Philippians 1, this is the type of faith our author, the Apostle Paul, described. In this particular passage, we see that some people were sharing the Gospel Message with the wrong intentions. It was out of envy and even rivalry. But others did share the truth out of goodwill because of their authentic love for the Gospel.
It seems strange, doesn’t it? That people would be sharing the Gospel out of envy, rivalry, selfish ambition, and trouble? That defeats the entire message of the Good News! And yet, Paul reminds us that what matters most, even in this debacle, is that Christ is preached.
Living with confident hope is a hope that clings to just that: that Christ is preached. Others may do it for the wrong motives. And in today’s culture, we see it all the time. People sharing Jesus for the sake of being credited or being seen as good. Leading at a Mega Church just for the sake of being popular, loved, or famous. Just like the Pharisees, these people pray in public and wear certain showy clothes to make it known. But friends, watch your heart. Watch your motives. Watch your ambitions.