Meet A Man Who Smiled In Spite Of.

I have … been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. II Corinthians 11:23-28

Paul went through all before he was arrested and had to spend two years chained to a Roman soldier (ref. Acts 28:30). In all this, not once did he ever grumble or throw a fit. On the contrary, Paul saw all his circumstances an opportunity to make Christ known as he made the best of his situation.

I don't know about you, but I can complain because the clock went off too early and I had to get up.

What did Paul have that we don't? Not a thing. We have access to everything – even more because we have his example – he had access to. It was Paul's attitude that made the difference for him. He truly lived above his circumstances and not under them.

Let's try it. What can it hurt? When we are faced with something that sparks that fuel inside of us to blow a gasket or heave that heavy sigh or crawl the person in front of us; try remembering what Paul did. Take a deep breath, smile and tell ourselves, we are not defined by this circumstance, we are above it. Better yet; remember what Christ did. Phillipians 1:6 tells us "being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." See we are going to make it after all!

Where are you in your circumstances?

I am starting a series of bible studies on the book of Phillipians. We held our first meeting yesterday and went over the introduction – who, what, when, and why. We discussed the fact that we lost a lot of our joy in life as we grew up. There was a comparison on how we looked at life as a child versus how we look at life now, as an adult. We all agreed that the biggest change was our responsibilities. Why does the increase of responsibilities mean we have to have less joy in life? Why don't we laugh now, like we did as a child? Are things just not that funny any more?

We discussed a quote of "Life is something that should be experienced and not endured." It became abundantly apparent the more the discussion went on that everyone in the room saw a lack of joy in their life. It appears we are all enduring life and not experiencing it. There were comments like, "I knew I needed to be in here." "How can I experience joy when I'm at work." and "Well I have kids now."

John 10:10 says: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." God sent Jesus to us to give us life -- an abundant life. This includes JOY. Now at the risk of sounding too much like a "glass half full" philosophy, I am aware that we all experience trials and tribulations in this life. However, we still can have this joy in our life, even in the midst of these problems. God has called us to live above our circumstances, not under them.

This leads into the book of Phillipians. Paul wrote this Epistle while he was under arrest and chained daily to a Roman soldier. What a blessing it must have been for those soldiers. When Paul and Silas was in prison, beaten, backs bleeding, and in chains. They didn't grumble and complaint to God. They sang songs of Praise. And guess what, it changed the whole atmosphere of that place. In both instances, they knew no matter what their circumstances, they were above them and blessed by God.

What an awesome lesson we have. God has richly blessed us in all areas. God has even made a way in the midst of our trials that we can stand up and say: No matter what, I am blessed!.

Where are you in your circumstances?