Prisoner For Christ

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. (Philippians 1:12-13 ESV)

What if God loves you but doesn't have a wonderful plan for your life? Or, what if God loves you and his wonderful plan for your life isn't exactly what you would think of as a wonderful life? The gospel call of Jesus and the gospel life lived by his immediate followers did not really resemble the prosperity gospel preached by many of our modern American television or mega-church preachers. Jesus did not come to give us prosperity in the sense that most people think of when they think of prosperity. God's plans for you, though wonderful, may include copious amounts of heartache, grief, and suffering.

Witness the words of Jesus in Luke 9:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24 ESV)

Jesus called on his would-be followers to deny themselves--their hopes, their dreams, their plans for prosperity--and follow him instead. He told them that if they held onto those hopes and dreams and plans for prosperity then they would lose everything, but that if they were prepared to lose everything then they would find that they had found something of infinite worth.

How valuable is Jesus to you? Is he worth giving up your own hopes for? Is he more valuable than that dream you've been chasing? Is he worth more than a prosperous, successful (in earthly terms) life? He should be, and until he is you will not know what it means to be a genuine follower of Christ, for until you are willing to lose your life for his sake you will never have life in the genuine sense.

Now let's look at Jesus' words to Ananias about Paul when he sent Ananias to Paul to baptize him:

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16 ESV) (emphasis mine)

What if God had chosen you specifically to live a life of suffering for the sake of his name? How would you like that? Would you be okay with that? What if I told you that if you are a Christian that is exactly what God has done?

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)

God has called us to give up everything for him if need be. God has called us to exchange our lives for his, to trade in our dreams and plans and goals for the life he has chosen for us. And let me tell you this, you will never be happy, never be satisfied until you do. Paul explains that "it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest" that his imprisonment is for Christ. What a testimony!

What is your testimony? Have you given everything to him? Are you willing to lose all to gain Christ? Is the idea of suffering okay as long as you have Jesus along with that suffering? I hope so and I am praying that it is so for you.